Help! 2 Phal and 1 Green Hornet - all sick with different things

[Satine]

1 phal has holes. Does not seem infested. Have taken it out of pot and it looks fine. Do not see any pests or snails. What could this be? It's one of those that drank blue water to have blue blossoms and after losing its blossoms, which were huge and beautiful, it now has holes! (see 2 pics of holes below in leaves)

2nd phal has no holes, but it is limp. Roots look ok to me but even after a sugar bath for several hours it's done nothing for my leaves. It used to dry up fast, so I've repotted it with plastic container around the wood,and moss holding it in the pot.... so far in the past 2 weeks it's done nothing... (see pic below)

And then I have a Green Hornet. It went yellow... those parts I cut off, and there are 2 green leaves left, but got nothing else. It used to have a beautiful pair of green hornet blossoms. (no pic)

All. Grown. Indoors.

Help?

[Emma Grey]

Hi,

I can't help you with the green hornet, but I can help you with the limp phal.

Limp leaves mean that it's being under-watered, or the roots are rotting and can't take up enough water to feed the plant. You said the roots look OK. Do they green up when you water the plant? I recommend taking the plant out of the pot and cleaning up the roots.

[Daethen]

Welcome fellow Wisconsinite!! Are the holes on your leaves dry or do they feel mushy? Are they spreading? If the roots on your limp one feel mushy or hollow, they are dead and can be cut off.

[Fishmom]

Seconding what Emma said, it appears that the visible roots are growing out of a central ball of spag moss or other media. Have you checked carefully to see that there is no rot in that central part? And the roots that are visible in the first picture--are they surrounded by air? Water? I'd remove ALL the media and take a look at the whole root structure to make my decision.

[vanda_obsession]

if that is what I think it is in the first picture, your roots do not look very good... looks like the plant is in some water right there? The roots should be kinda whitish when dry, but turn very green when they get watered. Repot and trim some of the old roots off up to where they start to feel plump.

[Jenny Ryan]

Originally Posted by Satine

1 phal has holes. Does not seem infested. Have taken it out of pot and it looks fine. Do not see any pests or snails. What could this be? It's one of those that drank blue water to have blue blossoms and after losing its blossoms, which were huge and beautiful, it now has holes! (see 2 pics of holes below in leaves)

2nd phal has no holes, but it is limp. Roots look ok to me but even after a sugar bath for several hours it's done nothing for my leaves. It used to dry up fast, so I've repotted it with plastic container around the wood,and moss holding it in the pot.... so far in the past 2 weeks it's done nothing... (see pic below)

And then I have a Green Hornet. It went yellow... those parts I cut off, and there are 2 green leaves left, but got nothing else. It used to have a beautiful pair of green hornet blossoms. (no pic)

All. Grown. Indoors.

Help?

Hi,
I am very curoius; what is a sugar bath for orchids?
I have some Phalaenopsis growing on my kitchen windowsill. Some look very healthy but one has many aerial roots but has slowly lost the pot roots. I trimmed away the bad roots and then applied some anti-fungal solution. My sprayer didn't work so I poured it over. Will this help or hinder the plant?
I'm new to this website and I just love reading about problems and solutions, and everything everyone has to say!

[Emma Grey]

Hi Jenny,

I don't know about the anti-fungal solution but I have a thought regarding your plant's roots. If it has lost most of the roots in the pot, the medium is probably too dense and is staying too wet. What is your plant potted in?

[Satine]

My dry phal does not have mushy or dry leaves... just limp. (PS When I write "dry phal" it's actually not dry at all... it's just moist amongst its roots, but not all are green.) It lives in a plastic container surrounding a brown-paper-fabric material, and inside that is moss, and styrofoam. Nothing appears rotting to me... can I cut some of the roots off anyway and see if that helps or would I risk rot easier then? Thank you for all of your questions and suggestions and please keep them coming.

As for the other phal with holes in it, I still have NO IDEA what is wrong with it... at all.

And the Green Hornet... it lives, but I'm hoping that over time it gets better on its own... it's not getting worse at least.

***1 HOUR LATER***

Wow. Ok, I took a GOOD LOOK at those roots... instead of just taking them out of their pots, I really handled them (carefully)... and yes, the "dry" phal had normal but limp leaves, HOWEVER you are Right! Low-and-behold, tons of the roots were just plain dead!!!! D.E.A.D. So... I started cutting... OMG... I cut away so much I don't even know if I can nurse it back to health... it has just a few good, green roots... or anything solid to work with. I will keep you posted.

And, then I looked at the dear phal with the holes in it... this one I got as a gift in September, and it blossomed a radiant blue and was HUGE... Saphhire blue. Anyway, after the blossoms finally fell off, the holes in the leaves took months to occur. I still don't know what is causing them, HOWEVER I did also take a GOOD LOOK at THOSE roots, and sure enough?! ROT! Yep. Yellow and black roots. Some green. I left the green ones, cut away the black, and was wondering, can I save yellow roots? Can they turn back to green or are they a loss? Let me know - I don't want to further infect it if I can save it.

And now, next I'll do the same to my poor Green Hornet, but that one I bought at a sale from the Orchid Society while in town... I am concerned about it but assume the same practice for it.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH and if you have further advice on the roots or leaves please let me know.


***20 MIN LATER***

Ok, the Green Hornet I took apart and it was all planted in moss and charcoal. When I got it, I was hesitant but it looked so beautiful and they gave me a deal... now, whether it was already sick I don't know, but I looked at the roots and NONE are green. Maybe none ever are for Green Hornets? Anyone know? It had tons of roots though, so I cut a few (hope I'm not killing it doing so)... it was moist. And parts that were dry were only on top, so I cut those away, and left the green. NOTICE: there are a few black dots on the tip of the leaf shown to the right - is it possible it has a fungus? When I had other tropicals get that it meant Root Rot. I see NO ROT but I don't know the 1st thing about this kind of orchid. It's a learning experience. Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

[Emma Grey]

I would not cut off any healthy roots, because limp leaves are a sign that the plant is not getting enough water. Either it does not have enough healthy roots to suck up the water it needs, or you aren't watering it enough. It may be that the medium at the center of the pot is staying wet too long and causing the inner roots to die.

When was the last time you repotted it? I would take it out of the pot and trim off any dead roots. You can tell a root is dead if it's mushy or when you touch it the outer

skin" comes off and leaves just the tough thread interior. If a root is still firm don't cut it off, no matter the color. Healthy roots can be greenish with white outer covering, yellow, white, or even brown (if dyed by bark).

Then put the plant in a pot that just fits its roots and some potting medium. If you don't have a small enough pot, you can put packing peanuts in the bottom to provide air flow.

Many members of the forum use the skewer method to water orchids. I'd recommend it. Here's the link: Skewer Method.

[Satine]

Thanks. Yes, they have just the right-sized pots for their size I believe. Thanks though for the info on roots. I did cut away all dried or where the outer layer was shedding. And now I am leaving the yellow thicker ones 'cause you mentioned they could be rehabilitated. I was wondering though, I cut some of the Green Hornet's roots. I wonder if I've shocked the plant? I suppose time will tell. I've been feeling the "do or die" thing so I figured, I'd better do whatever I think I might be able to do to save the 3 or else the obvious would occur. I never water more than 2x/week, and I'm going to go back to 1x/week. The roots of 2 of the 3 were not rotting. All 3 were moist but not over-wet. I never looked at the roots when I first got them. 2 I bought and 1 was a gift and other than the sugar bath I'd never taken them out of their pots since September, which is when I got most of them. Now I have though, so this will be telling. Still want to know what the holes in the leaves are though.

[Emma Grey]

If you cut roots off the green hornet without any knowledge of healthy vs. unhealthy roots, it is possible that you cut healthy roots and shocked the plant. The first time I repotted I got a little overzealous and cut too many roots off my plant. It took a while, but the plant came back once I figured out how to give it good culture.

I want to caution you not to get too stuck to a rigid watering schedule. It may work for you but it may not be the schedule the plants need, especially when seasons change. I know that's confusing, that's why I linked to the skewer method.

As for the holes in the other plant's leaves, they look like mechanical damage, which occurs when a plant falls over or is hit by something. If that's the case, it's nothing to worry about.

[Satine]

Originally Posted by Emma Grey

Hi Jenny,

I don't know about the anti-fungal solution but I have a thought regarding your plant's roots. If it has lost most of the roots in the pot, the medium is probably too dense and is staying too wet. What is your plant potted in?

Is this for Jenny Ryan? Jenny?

[Satine]

The phal with the holes in the leaves? (which, no never fell over or anything) - well, now the leaves are splitting down their centers, right where the long crease is... any idea why?

[violetta]

Originally Posted by Satine

The phal with the holes in the leaves? (which, no never fell over or anything) - well, now the leaves are splitting down their centers, right where the long crease is... any idea why?

I have some Phals with split leaves, it's not a problem for them.
I don't know why though

[Jenny Ryan]

Originally Posted by Satine

Is this for Jenny Ryan? Jenny?

My Phally is in pine bark, same as my others. I think maybe I have been a 'hovering orchid parent'. I have now adopted the Skewer method to improve conditions.