Limpy Leaves - help!

[SallyAnn]

Hi all
I am totally new to this site and I need help. I have a beautiful phalaenopsis that I have had for a little less than a year. Last year it held it's flowers for 4 months! So thrilling! I repotted it a few months ago and it is now blooming beautifully again and has produced a third stem that looks ready to bloom also. The last couple weeks the leaves started going weak & wilted. I don't know what to do. It sits in a north facing window. I water it twice a week with a very small amount of water. About once a month I add a few granuals of orchid food to the water. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[mayres]

Welcome SallyAnn - sounds to me like potentially you might be watering your phal too much causing the roots to rot. What kind of media do you have it potted in? Wilting leaves on a phal usually indicate that the roots are in poor health. Even though it is getting ready to bloom you might want to turn it over and gently remove the plant and examine the roots. If you have any mushy, black, or otherwise poor health roots - they should be removed. You want nice thick plump roots. Another less likely possibility is not enough water - you say water with a "small amount of water". What does this mean? You should water with enough water to thoroughly moisten all of your media and then flush with even more every few months to remove excess minerals that might build up over time. I can imagine if you repotted with coarse bark that was not pre-soaked, and then are only using a small amount of water each time, possibly your plant could be water starved. If this be the case, to get the bark to a rehydrated state you should probably soak the entire pot for a half hour or so once a week for the next few weeks - at least that is what I'd do in that scenerio. If none of this seems to make any sense with what you are seeing give us some more information and we'll try again.
Good luck - Mike

Since the plant is in a north window, is it perhaps too cold? You don't say what part of the country your in, but east or southeast windows are warmer and brighter.

[SallyAnn]

Thanks Mike, what great help that was. I did as advised and examined the roots. The beautiful plump healthy roots I remember were now all white & shrivelled up. The poor thing was dying of thirst. I did soak the medium (bark) when I repotted, but I obviously don't give it enough water. I was trying not to over water. It is soaking right now! By a little water I meant a couple onces or so. Never enough to soak the medium though. I have a lot to learn. Should you soak the whole pot ocassionally? I may need a pot that drains better. Thanks again, I just hope I can still save it.

[mayres]

Until you get the bark rehydrated you may need to soak each time you water - maybe only once a week or longer for a few times. It is difficult to know when the bark below the surface is adequately dry (when to water) until you develop a "feel" for it. If you use plastic pots you can tell when the pot is very light - and thereby know when to water. The use of a bamboo skewer stuck in the media as described in this forum is extremely helpful until you get the hang of it - you can get a bag of them at the grocery store for 99 cents. Break off to a length that is acceptable to you and then press down to the bottom of the pot. Periodically lift out and press against the surface of your cheek or back of your hand to see how much moisture is down deep inside. It is kind of interesting to see if you can guess correct before pulling it out. Once you have it - you won't need it any longer. As you have now noted, don't be afraid to let plenty of water drain through your media when you water. Enjoy - mike

[Sharyn]

I can't grow anything in a north window here in the midwest, just not enough light. I think Mike is right and you may have a watering technique problem. Check out Cynthia's watering with skewers. Phals. are pretty easy to grow once you get down the water and light requirements.

Oops - sorry Mike, I just realilzed you posted watering technique above.

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...ghlight=skewer

[SallyAnn]

Thanks everybody. The leaves are looking much better already after soaking the pot last week. I will do that a few more times to get it well hydrated, and then learn how to water it! I will try the bambo trick. I assume I put it down the side of the pot so I don't spear any roots? Also, will I need to clean up the roots after this plant is healthy again. 95% of the roots were all shriveled up & dead looking, so my guess is they will need cleaned out of there?

Put the skewer about half way between the neck of the plant and the rim of the pot. The medium dries out from the rim inward, so even if the edge of the medium is dry, toward the center can still be wet. Yes, you may spear a root, but if you keep the skewer in the same hole, you won't spear any more. Don't worry about the dry roots until you repot. Perhaps you'll get lucky and some of them will rehydrate.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Spearing roots is why I always recommend using a very new and unhandled skewer so your wont tranfer virus to your plant from something on your hands or surrounds. Feel the stick with a part of your body that does not handle other plants or garden vegetables like your hands.