Phal refuses to grow...
 

I have a phal that absolutely refuses to grow. I got it as my first orchid almost 2 years ago and it rebloomed once. I tried sphag and bag, using a heat pad, lower light, higher light, SuperThrive, organic fertilizers, no fertilizer, pure water, ect. And i didn't just try these things for a little while. It has 2 leaves that don't get any bigger and it doesn't get any new leaves. Almost 2 years ago it got root rot and started to recover and then it bloomed but I cut the spike after the first 2 blooms opened and it hasn't grown since. Other phals I saved from root rot did great and got tons of leaves and roots. This is a noid phal that blooms white with a few purple spots. The roots aren't in active growth and it doesn't have too many roots. It is about 6" under T8 lights, 50% humidity, and 70F to 80F. I grow all my other orchids under T5 lights.

Anyone have any tips or suggestions?

Not an expert but I too, had a couple of really stubborn ones that wouldn't respond to anything.....

Depending on how much you value the plant, you might try something untraditional. I read somewhere that you could shock the plant by exposing it to the cold and that might trigger some growth. (They do that to African Violets, shocking I mean, for example, by squezing the plant's roots. Haven't tried this myself.)

I also heard some people grow Phals in water culture, by placing them in a vase with water. Or perhaps mounting would change its mood....

I'm just speculating but yes, it IS frustrating, especially when others grow and respond just fine. :scratchhead:

Good luck and keep us posted!

WO :waving

I've noticed that some of my phals, particularly the NOIDs, prefer a bit of benign neglect. Have you tried reducing the intensity and duration under the lamps and reducing nighttime temperatures by 5-10°F? It might be that the plant needs a spell of time to rest and rejuvenate?

I'd just stop trying tricks to get the thing to grow. Let it rest. Sometimes that's what they need to do - rest. Keep in mind that NOID Phals are forced to bloom out of season to appeal to customers.

My :twocents:.

Question on the forcing, King--many of my phals are coming into spike right about the same time they were purchased for me as Christmas gifts. Is there a time of year they're "supposed" to bloom? Or do they adjust to the forcing and then keep to the forced schedule? How about paphs? Two of my three paphs are spiking/blooming as well. Just curious.

Well, yes, but we're talking about TWO years here!

WO

Technically that's not true...

He said it bloomed twice. That counts as growth...

Growth = energy being used up. Doesn't matter if it's leaves, roots, spikes, or blooms. This is especially true if it bloomed.

I'm not too clear with his wording, but I think he also might have meant to say that in 2 yrs it grew 2 "undersized" leaves. You also have to remember plants are what are considered plastic. That means that they adjust the way they grow to their environment.

Say for example, if the plant is receiving plenty of light. Well, it will conserve energy and not grow long, wide, floppy leaves. It will grow shorter, narrower, and more firmer leaves to compensate.

Forgot...

Recovering from root rot = energy drain as well.

Usually Phals will revert back to their respective normal flowering seasons. Some Phals will naturally bloom during different times of the year other than spring. Some Phals will naturally even bloom twice a year or more. It really depends on the Phal. It gets particularly hairy with the NOID's.

In general, though, blooming season for Phals are usually, (but not always), spring.

The heaviest growth, (leaves, roots), usually occurs during the warmer months with most Phals, starting during spring and going on throughout the summer months.

I've not been taught how to manage a Paph greenhouse before. As far as I know, they are more difficult to force blooms out of compared to Phals. I only learned to manage Phals in detail, as they were the nursery's main selling crop.

BTW, large-scale nurseries dealing with Phals on a grand scale, have special greenhouses used for forcing blooms. I've had to move some Phals into that greenhouse before.

Also...

Stunted leaves in Phals can be from inadequate access to water. This can result from either the grower not watering enough, or the plant not having enough roots to absorb an adequate amount of water from its environment.

AND...

I know I keep saying this, but...

An orchid's ability to bloom is not necessarily the best indicator of an orchid being in good health. They can also bloom as a last resort - a bailout response as you will, (whether or not it's successful with the bailout response is a whole different story)...

All of my blooming size phals are autumn/winter bloomers. It depends on your conditions and the species. Hybrids can bloom all year round if they have consistent conditions and enough water and nutrients.

I would agree with Philip, my guess would be that it either needs more water or that it doesn't have enough roots to get the moisture it needs and so needs to rest.

Try just putting it in a place with moderate light, moderate temps and keep it moist (maybe let it dry out for a day in between watering). Misting is a good way of encouraging root growth. I wouldn't fertilise either. A struggling plant can't really utilise the nutrients properly anyway.

Something I thought of last night--could the plant have produced a terminal leaf? If so, the plant has reached the end of its lifespan and isn't going to grow or bloom significantly again (as far as I know.) Could that be the issue Orchid Boy?

Makes perfect sense. Thank you!

How do I know if a leaf is a terminal leaf? The leaves look like the leaves of all my other phals. It doesn't have much for roots and may need to rest. I'm keeping it in a warm, moderately lighted place. It never gets below 70F and never above 85F.

85F? That's about 29C isn't it? (sorry, I can't think in fahrenheit!) I might be wrong but that seems a little too warm for a stressed plant. Heat causes evaporation which increases transpiration for plants and may be too much work for a plant with minimal roots. I would keep the plant around 25C and let it drop below 20C at night time - around 18 or 19C should do.

Hey Guy
are you able to post a picture?
This might help in the diagnosis.

Just to reiterate -- typical blooming season is getting on now,

which yours probably won't / shouldn't --

growth is typically in summer with long days and warm nights--

one to three new leaves should be typical.

Yes, benign neglect -- if you see a spike starting, I would rub it off. Let it / help it to wait until spring.

Is it potted in a small pot, or a big whopper? The smaller the better -- best time should be in spring when new roots/leaves are obvious. Pot it deep enough so that the lowest leaves are just at the surface of your orchid mix.

Take care
Keep warm

Rex
aka Polka -- born and raised in Kansas.

Check out this thread, Orchid Boy. It has a pic and some links regarding terminal leaves, etc.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...laenopsis.html

I'll try and get some pictures posted soon. It is in sphagnum moss in a 2.5 inch pot I think. I have it under T8s and it usually never gets above 80F usually around 75F. The 85F temps are under the T5s. From the time I bought it in bloom to the time it next bloomed (late spring/early summer) it grew 2 new leaves and shed the other 2 or 3 it had. It hasn't grown, either in roots or leaves, since it last bloomed. Would a windowsill be better? I wouldn't think so, this time of year. Its leaves look very healthy and firm, but they are small and a little tinged with red when it got too close to the light. My temperatures and light levels and day lengths are the same year round being I grow under lights.

If it hasn't produced a terminal spike I'd try the benign neglect route for a while. Less light, less water, less fertilizer, and see what happens.

If the leaves are small and tinged red because the plant was too close to the light then this fits in with what Philip said earlier - high light produces smaller and more compact growth. This can also happen because the plant didn't get enough water and since you say it suffered root rot, this would fit too. So, you can say that the leaves are small either because it got too much light or too little water at some stage in its growth. It doesn't actually mean the plant is unhealthy at the moment.

As ElenaMarie mentioned earlier, drop the night-time temps. Put it in a windowsill. I don't know what temps you get where you live at the moment, but where I live night-time temps in the house drop to around 13-14C (55-57F). All my phals grow in windowsills or close to glass (it's 4-6C or 39-42F outside during the day at the moment). They are all healthy and spiking, so this gives you an idea of what temps they can take. It will not hurt them to get cooler at night and, in fact, lack of growth and blooming can be attributed to too warm temps at night.

Edit: My only caution would be to not let the phal touch the glass. Leave a reasonable gap between the plant and the window.

ElenaMarie - wow. That is an interesting link. I wondered what happen when they got to old to do anything else. I know what to look for now. :-)

I'm glad it helped! :D

I have a phal that wouldn't grow or die no matter what I did, so I told it your on your own and moved it to a south window in sun room where the temps get down into the mid 50 to low 60s at night with day time temps in the low 80s, it now has 2 new leaves on it and is really looking better,I'll keep it there for the rest of the winter then it will go out side on the patio