Repotting a humpty dumpty Phal - flowers wilting

[Fuzzy]

Hello,
So I got this beautiful noid phal for Mother's Day that had a very nice spike with 5 branches, about 6 open flowers and at least 20 buds of various sizes. It was potted in a very flimsy plastic pot in tons of tight old sphagnum moss, so I decided to repot shortly. The very first evening this humpty dumpty of a phal took a great fall off of my shelf, about 5 foot high. The fall damaged 3 flowers, but the phal looked otherwise ok. I repotted it the next day into a moss/bark/perlite mixture from repotme.com into the only plastic orchid pot I had on hand, but the fit was poor. So the following day I repotted it again into a glazed ceramic pot (with one large hole on the bottom). This was two days ago, and now I notice that two flowers (not the damaged ones but the ones lowest on the spike) are wilting. Three new buds are opening up, and the phal looks otherwise ok, but I was wondering if the fall, or the two repottings, or even the glazed ceramic pot are causing the wilting? I'm now afraid the remaining buds will start blasting. In the future, if I get a phal in bud/bloom, should I not repot until it's done blooming, even if the medium is old and packed very tightly? I got a sinkful of old nasty moss out of that 4" pot! For what it's worth, the roots looked pretty good, only a couple dead ones. I'm attaching some pictures of the phal in the original pot before the fall and the repotting.

[Cym Ladye]

As flowers age, they wilt and fall off, generally starting with the flowers closest to the base of the stem. If you are losing buds, it is usually due to a change in environment.

[lotis146]

I've only recently repotted a Phal with a couple of buds but have repotted them bloomed before with mixed results. Those had been in bloom for a couple of months and after repotting in a different medium it was as if they were a bit shocked and lost a few flowers but the rest remained. So a change in TYPE of medium can shock them at first.

I had a Phal in bloom with a few buds left yet to open take a fall recently as well (in fact, the one I just repotted yesterday, results pending ). I was away when it fell, when I got back it had lost many flowers but all buds were intact. So I'm going to guess that your plant is reacting to the repots. Keep an eye on it and get to know how quickly or not the new medium dries out so you can make sure to water on time (my new repots dry out faster given they're coconut coir). It could drop a few more buds but I'd guess (and hope) that it will recover.

In the future, from my experience (which is minimal btw), know that repotting in bud/in bloom Phals can be hit or miss. The Phal I repotted a week ago (in full bloom with 3 buds yet to open & a third spike growing) in straight moss but not as dense as it came, is doing fine.The last couple buds are working on opening now.

Good luck!

[Leafmite]

Wow, that is a very pretty phal!
In my case, I lose most of my buds or spikes by knocking them off.
Yes, I agree with Cym Ladye. A change in the environment will often lead to bud loss. Cold/hot drafts, too cold of temperatures, dry air, rotting/damaged roots or water getting into the buds can also cause the buds to fall.
I would examine your environment first and see if anything has changed or if there is a draft (heat/air conditioning vent) near the orchid.

[tarev]

Your Phal is just reacting to various changes..change in media, change in environment, dropping..etc..

Give it time, it will adjust. Oftentimes, you get to lose some buds, but in the long run, the overall health of the plant is what matters. You have removed the suffocating bind of the moss on its roots, so it will now allow better air circulation there. New media takes awhile to be really moisture retentive, so I would suggest dunk the root zone for a few minutes whenever you have to water, then allow to drain. My Phals reacted better that way..they like that feeling of ebb and flow..then lots of air around them.

[Fuzzy]

Thanks, everyone! The phal looks ok. So I've lost 3 flowers so far and one or two buds look like they are blasting (turning orange-red). The rest look fine. hey, I'll take it - thought I'd lose more!

[NYCorchidman]

It is best not to bother with the plant if you want to enjoy the flowers for as long as possible.
Then, if you wish, you can knock the plant out of the pot and change the mix that suit you the best.

Regarding the phals in moss, as long as you are careful with watering, there is no need to really change anything.

I have a few phals that I bought a couple of years ago and they are all sitting in the same moss that they came in. They are perfectly healthy and bloom for me every spring.

You want to water so that the moss is just moist. Wait until all the moss look dry before watering again. This is the key to prevent root rot.

During the winter when phals are not doing anything, keep the moss on the dry side. but when there is a spike developing, good watering is needed.
Remember not to dump tons of water as you would with phals in bark mix. That is why many people have issues with phals.

With the exception of phals that are in moss but come in clay pot. Since clay pots "breathe", water dries out faster. but being safe is better than sorry.

I only repot when roots are going all over the place out of the pot.

Your phal is beautiful by the way!!!
Now I want some nice Taida Salu.

[cmmcd0472]

Fuzzy - Getting knocked off a shelf and 2 back to back re-pottings would take a toll on any plant. I think that moss is nasty and try to get my phals out of it and into a bark mix as soon as is practical. However, I obtained one pretty phal from Lowe's nearly 2 years ago that was planted in moss. I had plans to repot it long ago but it bloomed nearly continuously. It had 2 spikes and I cut them back a couple of times, but it's a very robust plant. As long as the plant and roots are healthy to begin with, I probably would have enjoyed it for a while instead of trying to do an immediate repot; it is gorgeous and from you pictures look as if it would have bloomed for a long time. Phals are pretty adaptable but do need a few days to adjust to new surroundings. In regard to moss, next time just let the plant dry out before watering and then don't overdo it; it is not necessarily the kiss of death for a phal. I generally have not had good luck repotting plants in bloom and won't attempt it unless the roots or potting medium are in really bad shape. Anyway, it sounds as if your plant did okay in spite of the trauma! Have fun and enjoy.

[Optimist]

Repotting causes shock for most plants. I have repotted while still in spike but only when all flowers are open. You never repot with buds! It is better not to repot with a stake at all. The energy that would be used in adapting to the new pot, is going to the flowers.

The best way I have seen out of this problem is to gently cut off the plastic pot without touching or damaging the roots. Put it into a slightly larger pot with loose sphag moss, then wait until the flowres are done, and cut off the spike.