The Phal abuse ends here. - Page 50 - Orchid Board

lightrain21 · #**491** 03-13-2013, 09:45 PM

Hello! I would appreciate if someone could give me some advice on my orchid. I have a phal that I purchased at Home Depot 3 years ago. Its potted in some kind of bark, no moss. The flowers died shortly after I purchased it. I was living in the midwest and moved a lot so there were some places that didn't have good windows, so not much leaf growth and it has never flowered again. 6 months ago I moved to Texas. At first the phal was on a south window and I found the leaves were burning so I moved it farther inside my apartment. It has had tremendous leaf growth now since I have moved to Texas. A few months ago it started producing some sticky dew looking drops underneath the tips of the leaves. I did a lot of internet research on this, some people saying it was a sign of a pest, others that sometimes orchids just release "happy" sap. The sap problem stopped on its own.

About two months has gone by since the sap, and all of a sudden the orchid is dropping leaves. It started with the bottom one where the leaf turned yellow in about two days and fell off. I have lost 2 leaves in the last week, and the next two have started to yellow. The plant had only lost one other leaf in its life.

I have done a lot of reading online to figure out the problem (sorry I haven't have time to read this entire thread though). I understand orchids will lose a leaf from time to time, but this sudden amount has to indicate a problem. Some forums have said it means the roots are rotten. I have unpotted the plant and found that some of the roots are dry/shriveled/dead, but how do I know if they are rotten that indicated a bigger problem, or just dead roots? I am just not experienced enough to look at my orchid and know what the problem is. I would appreciate if anyone can tell me if the roots are rotten. Should I cut off the dead ones? Thanks a lot!

Talila6 · #**492** 03-13-2013, 10:04 PM

cut the dead roots and discard all old potting medium, wash the roots out and repot with new bark medium. you can use the old pot again, but you need to soak it in bleach solution to clean it property.
sterilize your scissors or blades first.

orchid-recruit · #**493** 03-13-2013, 10:43 PM

You would know a rotten root. They are not dried out, but slimy, stringy and falling apart because they are decomposing. You can try repotting it like Talila6 said, but it could be suffering from crown rot, where it is rotting where water could be pooling where the leaves begin. The dew/sap that you are referring to could be scales. They look like barnacles and the dew is a sure sign. You might lose this one, but chalk it up to experience. However, sometimes their will to live is surprising!

silken · #**494** 03-13-2013, 11:06 PM

Your Phal doesn't look that bad to me. There are lots of healthy green roots. Some look fairly new as they are a few inches long. I would soak some new bark overnight and sterilize your pot and re-pot it, even tho the old bark doesn't look particularly old. Make sure you don't have a pest such as spider mite which can cause leaf drop and is very hard to see. You should use a loupe or magnifying glass and check undersides of leves for tiny red or brown dots and very fine webs. Also where leaves join at the crown for webs. Holding up to the light shows them sometimes. Or wipe the underside of the leaves with a tissue and see if you get 'dust' which could be mites. I don't see scale or mealy bugs in the photo but check for all pests. From the photo I don't see crown rot either but check the centre and make sure it looks green and healthy. Never leave water sitting in the crown. If it is clear of pests and you remove all hollow or mushy roots, then re-pot it and hopefully it will be fine.

Do you ever feed it? If not, it could finally be showing lack of nutrition after all these years.

butterfly_muse · #**495** 03-14-2013, 05:02 PM

I recently bought a Phal and when I got it home it was in desperate need of repotting and most of its roots were rotted (too much moss!). After reading this entire thread, I decided to order some Dyna Gro root hormone to help it grow some more roots since I had to cut almost all of them off...How do I apply the root hormone? Do I mist the plant with it? Do I water the plant and then apply the hormone after? Do I put it directly on the roots?

lightrain21 · #**496** 03-14-2013, 09:53 PM

Thanks for all your replies. I did look closer at the bark and did find one small white bug. It doesnt look like crown rot from the top, but the part where the lower leaves connect to the stem is a bit darker. I had no idea that I wasn't suppose to get water in the crown, and I know I am definitely guilty of this. I haven't fertilized it in a month or so

silken · #**497** 03-14-2013, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightrain21

Thanks for all your replies. I did look closer at the bark and did find one small white bug. It doesnt look like crown rot from the top, but the part where the lower leaves connect to the stem is a bit darker. I had no idea that I wasn't suppose to get water in the crown, and I know I am definitely guilty of this. I haven't fertilized it in a month or so

You could apply a bit of hydrogen peroxide where the leaves join the crown just in case a bit of rot has started. Make sure the plant has none of the white or other bugs and pot it up! Fertilizing once a month is OK but weakly weekly is a common expression for advice on fertilizing orchids. They would rather have a regular but weaker than normal dose of feed so their roots aren't burnt and they get evenly distributed nutrients.

---------- Post added at 10:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 PM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterfly_muse

I recently bought a Phal and when I got it home it was in desperate need of repotting and most of its roots were rotted (too much moss!). After reading this entire thread, I decided to order some Dyna Gro root hormone to help it grow some more roots since I had to cut almost all of them off...How do I apply the root hormone? Do I mist the plant with it? Do I water the plant and then apply the hormone after? Do I put it directly on the roots?

Just follow the directions on the package of root hormone. I assume it is K-L-N? If so it is added to the water when you water the plant. I like to use it or seaweed in some water to soak roots of orchids when I re-pot them or if they are struggling with poor roots.

butterfly_muse · #**498** 03-14-2013, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silken

You could apply a bit of hydrogen peroxide where the leaves join the crown just in case a bit of rot has started. Make sure the plant has none of the white or other bugs and pot it up! Fertilizing once a month is OK but weakly weekly is a common expression for advice on fertilizing orchids. They would rather have a regular but weaker than normal dose of feed so their roots aren't burnt and they get evenly distributed nutrients.

---------- Post added at 10:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 PM ----------

Just follow the directions on the package of root hormone. I assume it is K-L-N? If so it is added to the water when you water the plant. I like to use it or seaweed in some water to soak roots of orchids when I re-pot them or if they are struggling with poor roots.

Yes, it is KLN. I watered my gals last weekend by drenching under the faucet in my sink (we have a filter on it) and letting it drain...how do you apply it with that method of watering? Or do I need to buy distilled water and mix it into that? I've read elsewhere that it works better fresh so not to let the mixture sit in the jug. I only have 2 phals so far so I don't want to be wasteful. Would I flush the plant with the whole gallon of mix or..? Sorry to ask so many questions! I just really want to nurse this girl back to health. Thanks!

silken · #**499** 03-14-2013, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterfly_muse

Yes, it is KLN. I watered my gals last weekend by drenching under the faucet in my sink (we have a filter on it) and letting it drain...how do you apply it with that method of watering? Or do I need to buy distilled water and mix it into that? I've read elsewhere that it works better fresh so not to let the mixture sit in the jug. I only have 2 phals so far so I don't want to be wasteful. Would I flush the plant with the whole gallon of mix or..? Sorry to ask so many questions! I just really want to nurse this girl back to health. Thanks!

You could mix a smaller amount like 1/4 gallon (litre) and let each plant sit in their own little container of this water for a while till it is well watered and then drain it well. Use a sour cream tub or similar for each one and let them sit in water to near the top of the pot for about 1/2 hr. If you have a filter and use water from the tap then use that water. If you have a water softener that uses salt, I wouldn't be using tap water unless the filter removes all the salts. Make sure you divide the amount of K-L-N to be correct for the smaller amount of water you are using.

butterfly_muse · #**500** 03-14-2013, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silken

You could mix a smaller amount like 1/4 gallon (litre) and let each plant sit in their own little container of this water for a while till it is well watered and then drain it well. Use a sour cream tub or similar for each one and let them sit in water to near the top of the pot for about 1/2 hr. If you have a filter and use water from the tap then use that water. If you have a water softener that uses salt, I wouldn't be using tap water unless the filter removes all the salts. Make sure you divide the amount of K-L-N to be correct for the smaller amount of water you are using.

Alright, I'll give that a try, thank you! And no, no water softener. Just in an apartment on city water and too skeeved out by that to do anything straight from the tap, lol.