a question and some pictures

[Atriel]

Hi everyone,
I watered my phal this morning for the first time - that came with it's own fears and concerns but I'll get to those in a minute.
I'm aware that I may be overthinking this and in a year I'll look back on this first orchid and laugh at how afraid I was that I was going to kill it but until then ...

Here are some pictures. The guy at my garden shop was surprisingly unhelpful so I got a lot of , "pay attention to the plant, it'll tell you what it needs."
(but what if I don't speak orchid? What then, genius?)

The stick that was stuck in the pot says :
4220 BRS. Santa Ynez X. Chieftain

I have no idea what that means.

The phal isn't in the light at all I just moved it there to take the pictures.





Now here is my question, when I watered the orchid this morning I noticed that some of the roots looked dried out like this :


Is this normal?
I ask because some of the roots don't look like that - here's a picture to compare :



See how the one on the right looks fuller than the one on the left?

Which one is normal? If there's an issue how do I fix it?

[justloveorchids]

Its downright GEORGOUS and its roots are fine

Where you are and what your weather is like dictates to a point how you water your orchid

The wooden skewer method elsewhere on this forum seems to work well for most people

Personally once a week I simply put mine in a bowl 3inches deep of rainwater for 4 hours then drain the pot and do nothing till the next week

Phals do like light but it needs to be filtered by a voile/net curtain or similar

Mine are on a South Facing windowsill with a voile curtain behind them in a room that stays a steady 60/65 F

[tom499]

Orchids are epiphytes, they have aerial roots like yours has there My phals that grow inside have similiar ones, its simply the plant trying to collect moisture from the air.

Indoors, it wont do much, you will likely see them dry out, but dont worry, they have plenty of "normal" roots in the medium to keep them happy

[Sharyn]

Try the skewer method to learn when to water. It's a lovely plant. The roots look good. Top roots sometimes get dried - much depends on your climate & growing conditions. You might try placing your phal on a pebble tray with water added to add a little humidity. Don't mist those dry roots everyday. It won't help and will probably cause rot.

I grow my phals in a south window (with a sheer) and sometimes on my west windowsill (also protected with a blind that I can tip if the suns too bright.)

There are a number of culture sheets here on the forum. Check them out. Also, you might want to update your profile and include your geographical area so others can give you proper advice based on your area.

Good luck with your new orchid and keep coming back with questions. Oh, and yes we all love pictures!
Skewer use for watering of orchids

[kmarch]

Tom (and others), I'm sorry but I need to correct a point I see fairly regularly on the forum about Phalaenopsis roots. One could get the impression from your post (and others in other places) that Phals have 2 different kinds of roots: aerial roots which go out into the air, and "normal" roots which go into the potting mix. This is not accurate. Aerial roots are roots that obtain everything a plant needs from the air. So Phal roots, technically are not aerial roots. Phals don’t produce any "normal" terrestrial roots either. They are epiphytic roots, which are quite different in their structure and function from both aerial and terrestrial roots. In cultivation, Phal roots that go outside of the pot are "looking" something to grab on to in order to 1) secure the plant, and 2) obtain nutrients and moisture. I believe Phal roots go wandering because they are not finding what they want in the pot. Some may have other opinions on this point but even so a root is a root is a root whether in the mix or out of it.

Tom, please don't think I'm coming down on you specifically as I have read multiple times on the forum from different folks that Phals have 2 kinds of roots. I’m just taking this opportunity to correct the misconception.

Cheers

[janet_a]

-scratching head- "BRS" ?

The 4220 is the grower's number, don't worry about it.

I'm pretty sure your tag is wrong though--that's not a brassia, it's a phal, maybe a dtps. somewhere on here are the culture sheets for phals--check those, or just do as others upthread have suggested on water and light.

[kmarch]

Yeah Janet, I scratched my head at that too. Brs. usually means Brassia which means the tag is for a completely different plant.

[Atriel]

Okay awesome, I've read the care sheets - honestly though I'll probably continue posting pictures to ask the more experienced growers if I'm doing things right.
Thanks so much for all of the help.

[Lucinda Brown]

Hi Atriel, Many of my phal's have the aerial roots.I like to mist the aerials occassionally and they seem to like it too!Antbody feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.I won't take it personally!

[kmarch]

Lucinda, check out my post on Phal roots above.

[DDS2007]

atriel

i had the same concerns when i got my first Phal. i was soooooo afraid of killing it , now (after two months) it is so happy that it put up six new flower buds and seems to be doing just great .

yplz keep asking questions and posting photos this is the only way u will learn. and don't bother alot about the roots going out of the pot, they look dry cuz most home conditions don't provide the high constant humidity that orchids need. but don't worry , orchids and especially Phals are very hardy and adjust well to whatever humidity u have

take care