Spike damage, sphag moss, two plants in one pot!

[redperphexion]

Hi all!

Brand new phal owner... I hope it's not weird that I refer to my newest plant as "her"... I've never felt like that about my other plants. I may have even named her Gemini. Anyways!

I just bought my first orchid from a -very- reputable source... the grocery store. Hey, I figured I wasn't ready to invest too much in case I'm not a great orchid mom.

She's lovely and has bright, deep speckles of purple on her flowers, and currently has two spikes (?), both with blooms.

She's in a pot without drainage, as far as I can tell. The pot is full to the brim with damp-verging-on-soggy sphagnum moss (I think that's what it's called? please see picture). I had to pull a leaf off the bottom that was getting mushy - I wasn't too happy about that. I'm assuming I'll have to repot her, since she's too soggy. Should I use mulch? As well as find her a pot with good ventilation/drainage. I was wondering if I could also try drying out the moss slightly and putting stones in the bottome of the pot (as I do with my other plants) and use the moss still? Or is it just a bad idea?

Also, in transport, on of her spikes was badly damaged by the clips holding it against its support (see picture). Some of the unopened buds are looking a little sad (see picture), although the blooms that are open still look great. Should I just leave it how it is, or cut part or all of it off?

Lastly, I think she might be two in one! (Hence Gemini) In one of the pictures I've attached, you can see the moss and what I think are two plant bases. (As well as a sad stub where they cut off one of her leaves ). Is this a problem? Should they be separated?

Thanks!

-Super Excited Phal Mom

[Doc G]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

It looks like your Phal may be in a decorative pot that holds the actual pot the Phal sits in. If this is the case, lift the inner pot and see if it is sitting in water. If there is no inner pot, then you need to repot into something with drainage holes or slits.

When repotting you will have to make a choice of what to use. Some prefer sphagnum, some bark, some prefer a mix of bark, charcoal, peat chunks. There's also mounting and semi-hydro growth.

If by mulch you mean the bark that you cover a flower bed with to prevent weeds and retain moisture, don't use it. It may work but it may be treated with chemicals to prevent rotting, it may compact too much, etc.

The damaged flower spike can be cut back to just above the next lower node and a new spike may grow from there.

Otherwise, the plant looks healthy, though "soggy" is not a good condition for the moss.

[RosieC]

Hi redperphexion and welcome to Orchid Board

Don't worry, a lot of us refer to 'chids as 'she' and we name them as well (those that don't come with official names).

If there is no inner pot with holes then get it out that pot! You really really need one with holes in it. If there is an inner pot then pull that out and allow the air to get arround it for a bit.

Personally I would get it out the moss anyway. Except in very small plants (I have a little 2" pot I've left with sphag) I don't like it. It stays far too wet and that can quickly lead to rot.

You have already seen rot in the lowest leaf but you could have root rot as well and without roots the plant is in a very bad way.

I think you should should take it out the pot and pull the moss away and see what the roots are like. If they are fine and you want to stick with the moss then you can put it back in with the moss. If the roots are rotten or if the moss smells bad then leave it out.

You can keep the plant 'bare root' without potting it back up for a couple of weeks or so if the moss has gone bad, while you get something else to put it in. You will need to water everyday or even twice a day to do that though. I've done it for over a month in the past on a Phal I was rescuing from root loss.

I like to pot in a mixture of orchid bark and Coconut Husk Chip (CHC) but choice of medium can be somewhat personal. Ray has some good advice on his website on choosing a potting medium. As Doc G said, don't use bark intended for outdoor garden use. It's not suitable for orchids.

Choosing Potting Media

The important thing to know with Phals is that they like their roots to breath. Generally the easiest way to ensure they can do this is to ensure they dry out regularly between waterings. A clear plastic pot is great because then you can see the roots through it. When they are silvery they need watering, when they are green then they don't need more yet.

I think that spike just needs cutting off at the broken point. It does not look like the buds above it can survive. Hopefully you might get a side spike which is what one of mine did when the spike was broken in transit.

The most important thing is to check on the roots though. If they are in sodden moss there is a high danger of rotting. If you look after the plant you should get more flowers later, but if the roots die the plant will struggle to live, let alone flower again.

and if you remove it from the pot and take pics of the roots to show us, you are bound to get more advise on what to do next.

[redperphexion]

Thanks, guys!

If I take her out and leave the roots without repotting, should i soak her for an hour or so a day and leave her out dry for the rest? How would I take care of her out of a pot!?

Also... is having two plants in one pot an issue?

[trdyl]

Hello and welcome to the Orchid Board!

Once the plant is out of the pot and bare root just drench the roots with water twice a day like Rosie mentioned above. One thing that needs to be said is to keep the crow as dry as possible. The crown is where the newest leaves are coming out. About 2 plants in the same pot, what do you have in mind?

[dounoharm]

yes you can separate the two plants, and probably should considering that they are under stress. they would benifet by being in separate pots, and would be easier for you to monitor thier condition....as far as the broken spike, just cut it and put it in water, the buds may perk back up and open, if not you havent lost a thing...the cut spike may branch out with a side spike as mentioned above....quick fix on potting media is home depot or lowes orchid potting bark...it isnt a good quality, but it will do till you find something better....put the plants in a 4" pot, bigger pots arent needed or appreciated by the plants...

[stefpix]

HD here has only Miracle Grow Orchid mix that is full of peat moss and looks/ feels like reg soil with a few bark chips in it.

At Lowes they sell Better-Gro orchid mix and bark which are AOS endorsed. Bark, charcoal, perlite.
I would get that...
Skip the Miracle Grow.

[redperphexion]

Tonight I will go home and take her out. I will try to split up the two plants if I can... (I'll have to rename them lol) and cut off the bad roots. I peeked under the moss a little today, and there is some not-fun stuff going on in there. I hear I need to be pretty bold about cutting off the bad stuff. Should I take the flower spikes off to make the plant focus on root regrowth??? and how do I keep them upright until I can repot them?

You guys are amazing! Thanks again.

[trdyl]

Lets see what the roots look like first before you chop the spike. As ar as keeping them upright prop them up the best way you can.

[RosieC]

I agree, see what the roots are like before cutting the spikes. If there are hardly any good roots then you may need to remove the spikes, but if you have plenty of good ones it may not be necessary.

When cutting off the roots, leave any which are firm... whatever their colour. Good roots come in a wide range of colours, green, silver, white and even brown. It's hollow/mushy roots which are a problem.