Unhappy Phalaenopsis

[pezmaker]

I'm not sure exactly which Phal this is, I just know it's a phal. It was my friends orchid. He's a newly graduated botanist (so the neglect is even more tragic) and decided to refocus his hobbies, orchids no longer being one of them, and gave a bunch to my GF and I. All seem to be doing well except one sad, sad little phal.

Well, the dracula lotax is very unhappy - I just can't keep it cool enough without getting it light, but that's a different story.

The phal was small anyway, but it had some decent leaves. 3 or 4 of the biggest leaves yellowed and blackened at the base, then fell off, bottom up. It has a second offshoot that was looking good, but is now wrinkly and blackening.

He had it in a small (2 inch) terra cotta with lava rock base and sphagnum on top. I took a peak and at least half of the roots were completely shrivelled, black, dead dead dead. Some had no sheething left at all. Some were just black, wrinkled, hard, and didn't "green up" with moisture. So I cut all dead off and repotted it. Kept the lava base (after sanitizing) and added some orchid bark mix to the top/interspersed. The orchid mix is from the local greenhouse - homemade there. bark, some charcoal and a small amount of the white expanded pebble stuff.

I know pictures are needed to really get an idea here, so I'll try and post from my phone shortly.

Is there anything I can do besides sit back and wait? Keep watering it? It's been getting completely dry, probably every other day, before I can get it watered. I know it's not good to water too frequently, but it's getting bone dry. To reword my question, are there things I can do yet to try and help recovery, do I sit back and wait and hope for recovery, or is this little guy a lost cause and I just need to accept that it's not my fault (it came to me with the leaves already breaking/falling off)?

Thanks!!!
Dave

[pezmaker]

The black parts of the plant are not mushy, they're actually quite firm/hard, if that makes a difference.

20141017_112132 by pezmaker, on Flickr

20141017_112121 by pezmaker, on Flickr

20141017_112109 by pezmaker, on Flickr

20141017_112051 by pezmaker, on Flickr

[Cntry]

Hi Dave, to post pictures you need 5 posts so don't delete your last post . Just go comment on a few other posts and then add your pictures you wanted to.

[silken]

It looks like the stem is having some rot issues. You could give it a rinse with some hydrogen peroxide over that area. If it isn't rotted thru and is only surface, it might be OK. Did you soak your potting mix first? Usually soaking it for a few hours or overnight helps it retain moisture better. When you water, you could flush the pot thoroughly or even immerse it in water for a few mins, but allow it to drain very well. I really like using kelp (seaweed) when I water an ailing plant as it works well to promote root growth.

[pezmaker]

Originally Posted by silken

Did you soak your potting mix first?

I didn't, that seems like a smart idea. Next time!

Originally Posted by silken

you could flush the pot thoroughly

That's how I water all of the orchids. I put them over a larger receptical and just keep pouring through. I started watering my orchids this way, then got lazy and stopped doing this for a while - I was watering with a spray bottle instead.... I started getting some leaf tip browning on my O.Catatante, I think from mineral build up, and decided I better get my rear in gear. I now place them over a much larger receptacle and pour and pour and pour. They all drain really well so I don't have them sitting in any amount of water over any period of time.

I think I'll try some peroxide as suggested. Dust with cinnamon after? I see that as a common suggestion on the boards?

[silken]

You can dust with cinnamon but make sure it stays away from the roots. It is a desiccant and not meant for the roots. Once the media gets a few months old it will likely retain moisture a bit better. I don't keep my Phals very wet and only water them when they are pretty close to dry throughout the pot. I like to use a thin bamboo kebab skewer placed down into the pot to test for moisture. I leave it there and pull it out to see how damp things are in the centre, bottom of the pot. I don't water till the skewer is barely damp.

[pezmaker]

It is a desiccant and not meant for the roots.

Good to know.

I don't keep my Phals very wet and only water them when they are pretty close to dry throughout the pot.

That's to me a seemingly weird part about this. It's definitely not getting too much moisture - it's too dry and I'm having a hard time keeping it wet enough, but trying not to be too frequent about it. Being on top of lava rock in that tiny little clay pot, it just drys right up. It seems to be bone dry by the end of the same day I water it, but I hold off a couple days just to not be over doing it.

The only thing I know about the conditions before it came to me was that it was neglected in a garage, and when I got it it was already in a falling off state. The little offshot looked good, so i repotted and cut off the dead roots. Unfortunately I used some brewing cleaner when I cleaned the pot and rocks before repotting, and didn't rinse. I did let it dry... Something called one-step - it's an alkaline cleaner that supposedly breaks down into water and oxygen, and I stupidly failed to rinse the rocks after cleaning before I repotted. So I unpotted, rinsed the rocks thoroughly (this was the next day), and repotted.

Should I leave it alone or repot a third time to get rid of the lava rocks, which is preventing really any moisture from holding on? I'm beginning to think this is a death by attention after it was already on it's way down.

[silken]

Sometimes it is best to stop fussing. I think at this point I would leave it. Would putting the clay pot into a fairly close fitting plastic yogurt tub or similar work? It might help the clay pot retain moisture a bit longer. I myself prefer clear plastic pots. They have good drainage holes but don't breath like a clay pot. The roots seem to love that and then you can see what's happening with the roots as well. If the roots are green, they are still damp. Silver colour means you can water them. The roots also seem to love daylight and they photo synthesize as they are growing on a tree in nature, so I think that explains partly why they love the clear pots.

But for now I would probably let this poor thing settle into its current pot.

[pezmaker]

Thank you all for the responses. So far it hasn't turned to complete mush. The roots are all still quite wrinkled and dark, but they are at least turning a dark green when watered.

The best I can do at this point as far as a close fitting sealing container is to set the terra cotta in a coffee mug. Not exactly your suggestion, but it's something!

sent from nibbler, my android phone. probably with errors.

[silken]

Old roots will likely stay dark. Sometimes they are discoloured from the bark media. Just hope for new root growth now.