Phalaenopsis dark leaves

[socratesthecat]

Hi,

I have repotted my phalaenopsis however there are some dark brown/black leaves. See the pics.


So, I've since moved my orchid to a warmer spot in my flat and it seems happier. The green stalk has just started to grow since I moved it, so from this evidence I think it now likes its new home in the kitchen.

I water it once a week, with some growth stuff too, every other week.

What can I do to make my orchid better? It looks like it might be dying. Please help!

Thanks

[Ray]

The pot is too small.

You are not watering it enough.

Phals prefer to stay evenly moist, while maintaining good air flow to the roots. With as coarse a bark as you have, it probably dries out in days.

I'd bet the dark coloration is simply light-level related.

[socratesthecat]

Thank you v much.

I will get a bigger pot for it and water it twice a week. I wasn't sure if it needed more water or not and I think you're right about the bark.

[james mickelso]

Ray, do you really think the pot too small? I believe the bark is too course but not by much. It looks like this plant is in "sunny" Britain so it probably doesn't get a lot of bright light. The leaves look very dark so that is what makes me think the pot may not be too big. Most death in phals is due to root rot or soggy roots. If it has been recently repotted maybe Socretes should wait a bit and see how things develope. The larger bark will help in aerating the roots enough so that isn't a problem and the size of the pot for now shouldn't be a problem. I would opt for a wider pot but with lots of course gravel or foam peanuts in the bottom to help keep it a little drier in the center. What I can see from the leaves is most of the problem. It looks to need much more light. Just short of full sun. There is what looks to be a new shoot spiking. What do you think Ray? Should this be allowed to grow now or cut back to allow the orchid to stabilize and get a little more established? Thoughts please.

[WhiteRabbit]

Looks dehydrated to me too. I use quite chunky bark for Phals, and allow them to become nearly dry, to just dry (don't allow them to remain dry tho), I have a horrible history of over-watering Phals, and this has been working for me. I use a bamboo skewer in the media to monitor moisture. You can also judge when to water by color of roots in the pot. They will green-up right after being watered, and the color will slowly fade to whitish/cream/silvery as the media dries. When they are whitish/silvery, water

[james mickelso]

Same here Sonya. I am at the beach and the only reliable way for me to not kill them was to go to a bigger bark/charcol mix with a little sponge rock so that they wouldn't stay wet in the middle while the outside dried and descicated the outer roots. Now they stay just moist and when the pot becomes light weight I water trying not to get water on the leaves. They all have come to me with black spot and bacterial problems on the leaves. So if I can keep that under control I have been able to get some of them free from those afflictions and some now flower reliably without the spikes turning black and buds falling off. I also burn 1/2 inch holes in the sides of my plastic pots to keep the moisture levels more homogenous throughout the media.

[camille1585]

I think the pot size is fine, if that's what the roots will fit into. Phals do better a bit tight rather than overpotted. But either add sphag to the bark, or go for a finer bark mix. That should help keep it hydrated.

[Wynn Dee13]

I agree about the under watering and if the roots fit fine in the pot I would leave it. The dark color is just pigment in the leaves. Is it a purple orchid? It looks like it is growing a new root between the leaf. What happened to the curly leaf? Did it grow up against something? I guess that could be from under watering too. Bark dries out faster when it is new, so keep that in mind. Good luck and give that plant some more water!