Help save my wedding phals - limp dark green leaves!

[sara238]

I kept two phals (I think they're phals!) from my wedding rehearsal dinner in Sept '05. One was healthy for 2 years without much special attention. The other one a little less than that. Now both of them have limp dark green leaves and I don't know what happened. I did repot when they outgrew their initial pots, and I used the bark mixture. I keep them in an East window, Southern CA. Here are some pics - the leaves are really limp on one. (Don't mind the tupperware; my dog just broke the vase today. I will get a new pot tomorrow.) I don't want them to die! Please help! (My personal photo is from when the healthier one bloomed a couple months ago.)

[berkeleysgr8]

Your phals look like they're either severely under-watered or like they have root damage. That first Phal is TRYING to survive! Please cut off the flower spike... your plant needs all the energy it can muster right now to grow new roots! I see some roots at the top of the potting media, so that is a good sign! Please give us a little more information about how often you've been watering and what the weather is like in your area!

[BunnytheOrchid]

I agree with berkeleysgr8 that how it has been watered will be necessary to know what's going on. From the picture of the phal in tupperware, it appears that the roots are ok....? Its very hard to see, so if you can tell if the roots are firm and green (not mushy and brown), then the roots are probably not the source of the problem, and it could be watering. If the bark mix has broken down since its last repot, the orchid will not be able to get water and hold water as well as it could in a fresh mix.

I forgot to add that being in southern california could make the plant very dehydrated. The dry air and heat is not ideal for a phal. Again, it might need more water (depending on how more watering would compare to your current schedule).

[norris]

Also, Make sure you soak the mix in water for a day or so before you repot, my guess is that wasn't done when you last repotted, and that is causing the plant to be dehydrated. Good luck with your plants

[articuno75]

Hi Sara238 and welcome to the forum

Your Phals can be saved I do suggest the skewer method for watering. Don't be discouraged and give it some time. Your plant will should recoup.

[sara238]

The bark in the pots looks like the photo. I repotted them after they flowered 2 months ago. I have been watering them with a spray bottle with an orchid food in it (I'll post what what food I used after I get off work tomorrow) every 2 or 3 days and they stay above the kitchen sink. I usually spray all over until I see drainage at the bottom. I didn't soak the bark in water, but when my dog broke the vase last night, I noticed that the bark had some moisture/ damp but it seemed like the right amount to me based on what I've read. My climate is usually 75/60 this time of year and low humidity. I've also read that limp dark green leaves indicate too little light, but they did great for the first year in the same spot - no problems. They originally cam in spgm moss (freaked me out when I repotted - I've never seen it before and it was weird looking). Perhaps I need to go back to that. There are several healthy roots at the top and I clipped all dried up roots 2 months ago. I am unsure about some at the bottom - may need to trim more. Let me post some pictures of the roots tomorrow.

[articuno75]

It sounds like the roots are not getting an ample soak. Spraying is not working for them. They need a really good soaking so that the roots and drink what they can. When we water our orchids we soak them in a bowl or bucket up to the rim of the pot for about 20 minutes to an hour. That's a good amount of time for the plant to drink. If your going to spray or shower them then they need to drench until the medium is plenty wet and saturated.

Dip your pots in water and let them soak for a couple of hours. I bet you'll see a difference instantly.

[PhalPal]

Sara I have never had luck with Phals in bark in So Cal. (I'm in Placentia, OC) Yours are severely dehydrated because the bark is not retaining enough moisture for them.
Watering with a spray bottle is okay with moss but not nearly enough water for bark, especially if you did not soak the bark first. The good news is that you have great roots and with a few changes your plants can be saved.

If you decide to stay with bark, do as Jenny suggested above and soak soak soak it. Pot and all, right now! Use the skewer method (above) so you know when to water and then run lots of water through the pot every time you water. Lots of water is fine as long as the pot has holes to run out the bottom. The wilted leaves you have will not come back but may plump up a little bit. Don't cut them off; let the plant take what it needs from them and remove them when they are completely yellowed and finished. I do agree that the spike needs to be cut to save energy for your recovering plant.

Phals can be grown in almost anything if WE adjust our watering habits to fit the new medium. Spraghum needs less, bark needs more. Keep in mind that watering needs change as the bark decomposes, which is another reason I don't like it, but lots of people grow successfully in bark.

Let us know what you decide to do and we can walk you through it!

[sara238]

I will go ahead and soak them tonight! For some reason I was afraid I was overwatering because I've been watering more frequently than I used to. I'll post pictures of the roots tomorrow just in case I'm missing something.

[norris]

We've had quite a warm spring here in so. Ca, and I've been watering mine as if it were summer, which is about every three days for some of my more thirsty plants.

[beba53]

Ohhhh I know how you feel...one of mine is hanging in there...and as for the flowers lasting "weeks" gosh I am lucky to see them for a few days...one spike
thats it and 3 flowers.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I just had this happen to a new and very expensive Phal I repotted, then left it on display for a week without watering, way too long for this plant in its new mix. The flowers were wilted when I picked it up, and the leaves followed in a few more days, even after watering well. Inspection showed the roots to be rotting to nothing very quickly. It is currently in sphag & bag, and is getting a thorough spraying of Thiophanate Methyl (Cleary's 3336, Bonomyl, OHP6672, Fertilome Halt, ...) every day.

My guess is that the 2 or 3 days of being too dry stressed the plant and allowed the fusarium in the peat moss to get a hold on the plant. I can assure all that the plant did not get over watered at any time.

[Megan]

I've read in some places that thin and dark green orchid leaves could be caused by it getting too little light. I'm having a similar problem with my orchid. I suppose it could even be a combination of too little light and water though. It's just something to think about. I hope your orchid gets better!

[sara238]

I repotted my phals tonight and took a good look at the roots. They seem good to me; very firm and almost all of them green. On the photo of the bigger phal with lots of roots, should I cut off any of the white-ish roots? Some of them are green at the end. I only trimmed dried-up ones. Also, I think it's starting to flower, and it definitely perked up after a night in a humid tupperware! I read that if you cut the stem just below the first flower (after the flowers die) that there is a chance it will re-bloom. I'm hopeful! (I see something growing from the 2nd notch down in the photo!)

[sara238]

We just got her two months ago and this is the first thing she's broken, of course.

[articuno75]

When trimming dead roots, only trim the ones that are black or mushy. The firm ones are healthy roots. As for the subspike, (and I'm going to get beat for this) I'd say leave it. Your plants appear to have plenty of green roots and nothing looks like rot or disease. Your plant is just severely dehydrated. I suggest repotting the plant and increasing your watering habits. If you're watering once a week now, make it two. Do use the skewer method mentioned and in a couple of weeks, we'll go from there.

The little booger is adorable!!!! :P

[brookn]

Good grief, your puppy looks like my Bob when he was a pup! BTW he breaks, he shreds, he buries, well you get the pic, she could probably be much worse lol. Mine is a little brown monster with the sweetest face you have ever seen.

Glad to see those Phals hydrated, I admit the first pics were making me a little queasy lol.

[PhalPal]

Boy did they perk up! That's great! I agree with Brook; your first pics were a little sad. You have plenty of good roots to revive your Phals. Any root with a green tip is perfect; it means the root is growing and you never want to cut (or accidently break) them off. You did a good job repotting. What did you decide to put them in, spraghum or bark??

I'll be the first to smack Jenny upside the head!! I would cut the spike. If this were any old Phal that did not have sentimental feelings attached to it I might chance it, but this is a special plant and you want all of it's energy going into healing and growing roots so it lives to see many more anniversaries. Secondary spikes are always substandard with just a few, smaller flowers and not worth the chance. Get you orchid healthy and it will bloom for years to come.

BTW - your 'first child' is adorable!

[sara238]

I soaked the bark in a bowl of water, and put about a cup of regular orchid soil in the pots as well. It filled in the gaps and will probably help retain moisture. The pots do drain. My healthier one perked up a LOT in just 3 days! The leaves are standing up on their own! I am going to keep the flower spike on this one since it is doing so well. I did cut the spike on the really limp one. Hopefully this will make both of you two happy. Here's the food I was using. I watered it down quite a bit for now. Once they come back to life I will start using it again conservatively.