Have a problem ??

[borderman01]

Hi all this is my first time on this forum and I'm a newbie with the orchids. Here are some of the pics. Don't think its bacteria but not sure. I think it maybe too much light and water which I have cut off for a week or so. Now I have another orchid which is perfectly fine. I have separated both just in case. If I missing something please let me know. Looking for some advice. Thnx.

[Irene]

My first thought was stem rot, since they are yellowing from the stem out.

I'm a newbie, though, so I'd wait for some of the experts before you give up hope.

[kmarch]

Hi borderman and welcome to the forum. When you get a chance, introduce yourself in the Introduction section fo the forum.

Your orchid does not have a bacterial infection. If it did, your plant would be getting brown or black and mushy literally by the hour. I'm not sure why you have cut off light and water for your plant. Light and water are what the plant needs to sustain itself. It's a bit like a doctor trying to cure his patient by starving him.

I notice on your last picture what looks like little white spots and specks. I see some on the new leaf and in the leaf crotches of both dying leaves. Are these perhaps mealy bugs? Mealy bugs are little fuzzy white bugs that hide in places like leaf crotches and suck sap form your orchid. They are fortunately they are soft bodied and fairly easy to get rid of with a few applications of insecticidal soap or mild insecticide. A mealy infestation could explain the yellowing leaves.

[JimBer]

Judging by the photo your pot looks sealed, make sure there is drainage and airflow. I have used pots like that in the past but I take a masonry bit and drill holes before potting up the plant. Good luck...

[PhalNewbie89]

I might be wrong but I think the white in the crotch of the leave sis from the potting mix.

WELCOME!!! Looks to me like it could be either too much moisture or maybe even normal death, although you usually shouldnt lose so many at once.

[borderman01]

Well the white spots on the new leaf feel hard like a pimple. Here is a closer pic. So they are not soft bodied. I will take your advice JimBer and either drill some small holes or use another pot with drainage and for airflow. Thnx. I water them every 10 days. Is this about right and should I continue this? I give them indirect sunlight during the morning only. Let me know what you guys think. Thnx.

[Ben G]

you might need a diferent medium like sphagnum moss that should help it recover

[Leathal]

Phals like to have moist, not drowning, roots. So watering every 10 days may not be enough, depending on the conditions you have them in.

[borderman01]

I keep them in my house with temp about 72 degrees. But because here in NJ has been so cold lately I haven't been able to open a window a little for air. Now do you mean give more time for watering like every 20 days or water them a little more frequent?

[borderman01]

I forgot to mention, I use a potting mix for Orchid called Miracle Gro that I bought from Homedepot. Is this correct to use ?

[pugmom]

I live in Ontario Canada (its cold and dry here)
But I have a hygrometer right with my phals, humidity is important as it kind of lets you know how often you need to water, my humidity here is in the high 30's and I water every 4 or 5 days. My plants are in a bark mix. I have heard that miracle gro orchid mix is not good (too much like soil) the orchids roots like to breath and have air around the roots.

You can try the skewer test for watering with directions here...
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...f-orchids.html

I sometimes soak the plants for 10 or 15 minutes and sometimes let the water run through them and let them drain. But its really an individual choice based on your conditions, potting material, type of plants ect.

I think if you take some time to read through the forum you will find lots of information on how to care for the plant properly.

If this was my plant I would re pot, check for bugs and rotten roots, and learn as much as I could about the plants culture here on the forum.

[Olive Cook]

I water my Phals every 3-5 days, before they can dry out... inside temps at 65-70 F, in the East and West windows; all of mine are happy so this may work well for you

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by borderman01

I water them every 10 days. Is this about right and should I continue this?

Watering frequency is relative. How often you water depends on how fast the mix dries out. The rate at which the mix dries out depends on temperature, humidity, and the kind of mix you're using. What really matters more than how often you water is giving the plant the conditions it wants. Phals like gently and evenly moist, never dry and never soggy. So you should water as often as is necessary to maintain that condition. For some this might be every other day while for others with different conditions, using a different mix, it might be once a week.

The same is true for the mix. Some mixes hold a lot of water while others dry out quickly. Choose the mix (or make your own mix) that best helps you give your orchid what it needs.

Now that I know about the bumps and if I understand correctly, this pot has no drainage, correct? I'd suspect some root loss as the reason behind the yellowing leaves. I'd repot the orchid, take a good look at the roots. Remove any dead ones (soft and mushy) but leave the healthy ones (hard and crisp). Pot it up in fresh mix in a pot that has good drainage.

Good Luck!

[borderman01]

I did change the pot to one with holes at the bottom. It's a bit smaller than the one I had, as it was pointed out that I may be sealing off the roots. I did however notice the roots very dry falling apart and brittle. But there were still some roots hard and green. So hopefully the plant can still be saved. Today I will change the pot mix to sphagnum moss and hope it helps. Thnx all.

[sunshine]

Here is the culture sheet on how to care for your phal. Good culture is absolutely essential to having a healthy, happy and beautiful chid.

AOS | Phalaenopsis

I have a few phals. All mine are potted in clear plastics pot in medium of bark, perlite and charcoal. I use clear pots so I can see the roots and also as an indicator on when to water. If the pot has condensation on the inside of the pot I don't need to water. I just set my pots on a humidity tray and this also helps.

Also when repotting go up one pot size. The roots should fit in there comfortably with enough room for new growth.

[11Orchid126]

I'm glad you said you put the plant in a smaller pot as the one it's pictured in is too large. Too large a pot makes for too much medium which will stay too wet because there aren't enough roots to use the moisture. A temp of 72 degrees is okay for a warm growing phal, but you must give it light. In the winter mine are 2 feet from an unshaded south window. In the summer they stay on my shaded patio and get early morning and late afternoon sun.

As Pugmom says, Miracle Grow Orchid Mix is not the best. It stays too wet and breaks down quickly.Try to find something different, and mix about 25% sphagnum moss in it. Also as Pugmom suggests, do use the skewer method of watering. It will take the guesswork out of it.

I don't know where you live in NJ, but have you ever been to Parkside Orchids in Ottsville, PA? They have five greenhouses full of orchids, and they sell potting medium and stuff. Check them out at their website. From Trenton they're an hour and fifteen minutes away.

[borderman01]

Well I just repotted my Phal. First I cleaned the roots with temp water and gently removed the old sphagnum moss it had. Now I planted with new pot with hole for drainage and air. Did use about 50% sphagnum moss and less of the miracle gro for the mix. Pot is smaller than the original. Now time to wait and see. I did see plenty of strong green roots. But also had a lot of rot roots, brown and mushy. So im hopefully it can make a good recovery.

[orchidea]

I hope you removed phal's bad roots and left only good ones.
I would definitly use a bamboo skewer pushed into your new medium to check for moisture inside the pot to know if it's the right time to water (you can get them in Walmart for $0.97 per bag). You potted your phal into a mix that retains a lot of water for a long time. Be very careful not to overwater, specially because there was rot there at the roots before (that is if you removed the bad roots, it's still there if you didn't remove them).

[borderman01]

Oh yes I removed the bad roots that were rot. Black and very mushy. Left good ones behind. Should I still allow them indirect light sunlight after repotting or give a few days in the shade to allow them to adjust ?

[Tarad]

Glad I waited to anwser here as you hav eheard everything Jsut for the record I would never use Miracle Gro medium on phals or any other orchid really especially if it has the the fertilizer beads in it. YOur orchids dont need those on the roots it can burn them. I had that happen to me and killed a family of orchids. Never again.

[orchidlover55]

You have got a lot of good information so I just want to say to the forum glad to have you with us

[borderman01]

What medium would you recommend? Is it possible to use sphagnum moss only as the medium?

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by borderman01

What medium would you recommend? Is it possible to use sphagnum moss only as the medium?

It is possible to use only sphagnum but if you do, you will need to take care not to pack it in and you will have to watch to see how fast (or slow) it dries out and adjust your watering frequency accordingly.

There are a lot of good phal growers here on the forum and you will get a lot of different recommendations on what kind of mix to use. Whatever mix you ultimately choose, you will need to watch it for a while until you get a feel for how fast it dries out.