Mini Phal dropped 3 leaves within 2 days - Orchid Board

SoCalOrchidGirl · #1 07-31-2015, 12:44 PM

My no ID mini Phal that I purchased last July was such a prolific grower, within a year it grew 3 new leaves, tons of roots and rebloomed for me this past spring. Last week I found a few snails in my orchid collection and I decided to treat all my orchids with hydrogen proxide bath to destroy the buggers. I think I got some liquid in between the bottom leaves on the mini Phal and within 2 days it dropped 3 leaves, and now when I woke up this morning the 4th leaf is starting to detach. Last week, this Phal had 6 leafs.

I took the Phal out of its medium and sprinkled some cinnamon. Hopeful I can save this ltitle one. Is this the best course of action to save this little guy?

wintergirl · #2 07-31-2015, 01:02 PM

The base of your plant looks rotted. You might try cinnamon where it's black, but keep off the roots. It is best to just spray peroxide on the roots when you have snails, then rinse off.

SoCalOrchidGirl · #3 07-31-2015, 01:08 PM

It wasn't like this before, it just happened within 2 days. It's amazing how quick rot can ruin a plant. I'm going to keep a close eye on this phal.

Thanks for the suggestion!

SoCalOrchidGirl · #4 08-02-2015, 02:26 AM

Hi everyone, the mini phal only has one leaf left now. Tonight, the newest leaf fell off. I still have some green roots, but can the orchid still grow even though the most recent leaf fell off? Can it still be saved at this point?

I feel horrible, there is something about killing an orchid that you have been taking care of for a whole year, and all of sudden out of nowhere this happened! I am pretty upset at myself.

I am attaching a few pictures of it's updated condition. The last picture was a few months ago when it rebloomed for me.

Please let me know if there is any hope for this little guy.

bil · #5 08-02-2015, 09:21 AM

My advice would be, bin it and buy another. IMO the best diameter for a phal pot is about 35cm and 8-10 cm deep, potted in large bark (2 inch or so) and nothing else.

Those suckers grow long roots, and I don't think compressing them in a small pot is wise.

SoCalOrchidGirl · #6 08-02-2015, 11:28 AM

Hi Bil,

This wasn't the phal's pot, when it started loosing leaves, I was afraid it was rot so I took it out, sprinkled some cinnamon powder and let it dry out. I was hoping it would work.

Thanks for your suggestion.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #7 08-02-2015, 12:10 PM

If the roots are still intact, grow the roots - don't worry about the leaves, let them fall off if they want to fall off. Worry about keeping the roots alive. It could take years for the plant to fully recover, but it should if you do things right.

This plant's mostly dead not all dead. You ever watch the movie the Princess Bride? Yeah, the Dread Pirate Roberts was mostly dead, not all dead. As Miracle Max says, "There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive…"

bil · #8 08-02-2015, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCalOrchidGirl

Hi Bil,

This wasn't the phal's pot, when it started loosing leaves, I was afraid it was rot so I took it out, sprinkled some cinnamon powder and let it dry out. I was hoping it would work.

Thanks for your suggestion.

I would suggest, don't put cinnamon on roots, it is supposed to burn them.

Once you have the basics worked out, phals are pretty easy to grow. Once the roots don't get enough air, they go downhill fast.

estación seca · #9 08-02-2015, 04:35 PM

Don't feel bad about the peroxide treatment for snails. The phal was probably having trouble even before this and you didn't notice.

People say phals are easy but that's only after they've figured out how to grow them in their own conditions. I would guess people in different growing conditions use a wide range of pot size and material, and growing media, to arrive at the same point - lots of air at the roots, medium that almost dries out before watering again.

I kept a mini from the supermarket alive for several years. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to water the crown. (How do phals and African violets keep the rain out of their crowns in habitat? Never mind.) In my conditions water in the crown evaporates in 10-15 minutes so I don't have to worry about it. I lost mine when I forgot to water it for a few days in the summer.

bil · #10 08-03-2015, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

Don't feel bad about the peroxide treatment for snails. The phal was probably having trouble even before this and you didn't notice.

People say phals are easy but that's only after they've figured out how to grow them in their own conditions. I would guess people in different growing conditions use a wide range of pot size and material, and growing media, to arrive at the same point - lots of air at the roots, medium that almost dries out before watering again.

I kept a mini from the supermarket alive for several years. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to water the crown. (How do phals and African violets keep the rain out of their crowns in habitat? Never mind.) In my conditions water in the crown evaporates in 10-15 minutes so I don't have to worry about it. I lost mine when I forgot to water it for a few days in the summer.

Why treat for snails with peroxide? Is it very effective? I just use slug pellets, I find it much simpler.

As for watering the crown. I deliberately water all mine and try and fill the crown. However, the water just drains out. I haven't found one that will hold water there.
As yet, I have lost none of them to crown rot. The one I did lose to crown rot was being kkept in the garage, where it got a bit cold, and because they were at risk, I didn't water the crowns of those plants.

My conclusion is that watering the crowns is not what causes crown rot.