phal leaves gone yellow

[Eximili]

OMG somebody please help me, i went on vacation and i made sure that the phal was alittle dry before i watered and left, it was near a window but no direct sunlight would fall on it, i watered it and when i got back to my horror all my flowers had dropped to the floor and the stalks have both turned light brown and look very dry and both of the leaves have turned yellow like the color of autumn leaves, the plant looks so dead except a little bit of green left on the tips of the leaves, im so upset right now, this was my first orchid, a phal, it was from the leapord price family as someone said here before, and it was so nice and gorgeous, now it looks like it could match my wood furniture, please help me, is the plant really dead or what could have gone wrong? there was air ventilation and not too much sun exposure and the plant was watered, within a week the plant is just dead ((((

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think I am going to have to leave this one to doctor Jerry. Can't imagine what it could be out side of overheating or a severe bug infestation. Any scarring on the bottom of the leaves? Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

[Eximili]

no scarring, just a few black dots but no scars, i already asked about those black little dots, just a few, somebody in here said it was nothing, but those dots are the same, leaves just yellow, no bug infestation, i never had a problem with bugs in my home, all my plants are 100% perfect, it could not overheat, no direct sun exposure, and perfect room ventilation.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Have you inspected the roots yet? Sounds like you know what you are doing, so this certainly is a stumper for me. But then I am not a big or long time Phal grower. Hope Jerry pitches in at some point. Cynthia

[Eximili]

thanks for your prompt responses cynthia, they are much appreciated, i am at work so i will go home today and inspect the roots, the only thing is that my orchid is in a ceramic pot and i have never actually looked at orchid roots. I am afraid because people say they liked to be tightly packed but if i take it out, i might ruin it, i dont know haha. Anyway, so when i inspect the roots i should be looking for goop, rotted roots (dont know what those look like), but they should be green and healthy looking is all i know...going to try that, but before i do if you have any advice on looking at roots and what are some signs of roots going bad, that would be appreciated, thank you so much cynthia.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

What mix is the Phal potted in? Phal roots are thick and succulent when alive. Dead, they are hollow. If the plant wobbles in its pot, that would be a sign of root problems, but if not wobbling, could still have a problem with roots. Try to see from the top, if you can move some of the mix around, or better yet feel, if there are live roots. I always prefer plastic pots because I can get the plant out of the pot unharmed. Cynthia

[Eximili]

wow, im surprised at how nice you are and the time you devote to people who are new at this, well when i get home i will check what medium it is planted in, i dont know what medium is because there is moss that was included when my gf bought the plant, should i just remove the moss, it is a pain trying to water the plant with that moss on top?, so when i get home i will remove it, if thats okay and tell you guys what mediumm is planted in and hopefully see wat the roots feel like, hopefully they are not all hollow, i guess if they are all hollow that means there is no chance the plant will survive, , (crosses fingers)

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

You can get rid of the moss if it is just on top. It just makes for lots of watering confusion. If it has no roots and no leaves, this would be about the hardest thing to save. How about this? It may have been a clone. If so, you can find the genetically identical plant to replace it with, and try again. Google on "leopard prince" (sp?) in quotes. It is kind of like, after a favorite oldtime plant dies, you go to an old friend you gave a division to, and ask them to save you a division next time they repot. I did this some 10 years after a favorite plant died. I tracked down a fellow employee that had retired years earlier and asked if I had ever sold him a piece of this plant. He said yes, and had an extra division just sitting there. Cynthia

If your orchid is in a ceramic pot, does it have holes for drainage? Good drainage is most important for orchids. Lack of drainage can cause rotted roots. Roots are bad if they're mushy or dry and shrivveled. Usually mushy roots indicate overwatering and dry and shrivveled roots indicate underwatering.

is there any indication of a new leaf growing at the center of the plant? this could indicate survival. it will take awhile though.

[jerrymeola]

Sorry about our Phal. I would think it is gone.

It sounds like it totally dried out, but the way you handled it was correct. It was the best you could do and 99 out of 100 times it would have been fine.

I have been out of town on a consulting contract and only home on weekends. I am embarassed to say how many orchids died on the short absence.

Your's seem to have dried out although normally a week away would not hurt a Phal. Sometimes plants (not just orchids) died for no apparent reason. Try not to take it personal (although it is very personal).

I hope this does not discourage you from growing orchids.

[Eximili]

okay guys the operation was underway, i took it out of the pot, basically the moss i was talking about was completely filling the pot, there was no mud at all, i had to unwrap the whole thing from the roots just to see the roots, and when i saw the roots there was alot of damage, there were roots that were whitish yellow, some roots were green, some were black, and there were some roots that were whiteish green with some areas that were going black, the black areas were dry and hollow, the whitish areas were still plump and hard, and the green areas were good, there was no goop, but it did smell like a pile of clothes that were sitting in a bag wet, i guess thats what root rot smells like, so what i did was i cut off the black roots, and areas that i thought were infected or looked rotten, there wasnt much left but it wasnt a complete lost, i washed the plant after i snipped everything and i want to repot it, can orchids be repotted in mud? and did i do everything right? oh yeah by the way, it was a ceramic pot with no holes at all, which is why this whole rotting situation came about.

[Eximili]

well since nobody has replied for a while, i have repotted it in "mud" not exactly mud but a mix of peat and something that looks like mud, its more airy, and i heard since it has so much loss of roots that i should maybe put a clear bag over it, should do that as well?

[tautang]

do you use your old pot without hole ?

IMH, "mud" and ceramic pot with no hole and a bag over it is the worst thing to do.
Do you remove all rotted root before repotting it ?
it will be better to use much airer medium for yor phal like small bark chunk. Unless you have almost no root or your home is too dry, you don't need to bag it or you will get other problem. Also, I work well for me a plastic pot with many hole on the bottom and few hole on the side.

Good luck.

[Eximili]

oh no, i didnt repot it again in the ceramic pot, and i did not put a bag over it. i repotted it in a plastic pot with lots of holes and since this was my first orchid i did not have any orchid mix, so i put it in mud temporarily. i hope that will not harm the plant, its not actually mud, its a mix.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Watch out for how long this takes to dry. A week or less will probably be OK. Any longer, and the mix may be too heavy. I regularly use 3 parts small perlite to 2 parts coursely sifted canadiun peat. The perlite lightens the mix considerably. Cynthia

Phals grow extremely well in mud mixes, or Pro mix. However, this type of mixture holds water and fertilizer much longer than bark mixes, so you must be careful about using both. Also, the mud mixes deteriorate faster and the plants need to be repotted more often, say every six months rather than a year for bark mixes.

The next time you go away, don't leave the phals, or any orchids for that matter, dry. Be sure to water them thoroughly.

[Eximili]

i made sure the phal was watered before i left, i guess it was just bad luck with that store that had put the phal in a ceramic pot, with moss without any holes, well the phal doesnt look too good, i mean it has no flowering stalks, and just one leaf left which is yellow and it looks like its not going to make it, there are a few green roots, some white, so i dont know i hope it will pull through, how long do you usually have to wait to see results because it is the summer time, will the plant shoot out more leaves or more stalks, how long does it take for a phal to recooperate?

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I have not grown that many Phals, use to kill them right and left with too much light, but if your plant did not have crown rot, and this damage is due to some kind of shock, in otherwards, not a continuing problem like insect attack, then I would think that the good roots and living base, albeit, no leaves, would start to grow a new leaf in the next 2 or 3 months, but this could be longer. Kind of like the rate at which it had been producing leaves before. But expect a big set-back. The first leaf is going to be smaller than normal. Sorry to be so slow in answering, I don't notice my privet messages right away. But atleast it worked. Cynthia