Why does this keep happening??

[risa59]

I bought a new Phal to celebrate finishing my income taxes and mailing them (and the check!) two weeks ago. Any excuse to celebrate with an orchid, right?!
The lovely little Phal with the two blooming spikes turned out to be two plants in one. They were planted in sphag which I hate since it stays so wet. I repotted both in bark, etc. Within two days both plants have wilting blooms (although their leaves and roots seems fine during the repotting). I've checked the roots again this week and the roots still look fine.
I did soak the bark before I repotted them.
This is the third time this has happened to me in repotting a new Phal from sphag to a bark mixture. Any idea what I might be doing wrong? Is there a way to save the blooms at this stage?

[kmarch]

You're most likely not doing anything wrong. The wilted blooms are nothing to worry about. Phal buds often blast and flowers fade when the plant experiences some sort of change in its conditions, such as bringing it home form the nursery. It's just something they do. Unfortunately once the flowers (or buds as is sometimes the case) start to go, there's no saving them. It's disappointing to be sure to bring a beautiful orchid home only to have it immediately drop it's flowers but with good culture your phal should grow on to flower again.

[LouisW]

Sounds to me like you are taking roots that are used to being in moist moss and putting them in bark where they get much more air and much less water.

Not saying these condidtions are bad, quite the contrary. I think you just need to keep the root zone a little more moist.

[solay]

Maybe re-pot after the blooms are done so you can enjoy them first?. You always have the next flowering to look forward to.

[jay]

Orchids are grown in greenhouses at ideal conditions before we get them. When we bring them home, they have to adjust as Kevin has already stated. Keep in mind that unless you buy directly from the grower they go through another change in conditions when they are at the store.

I go through the same problems with my orchids because my growing area is so dry. Once the orchids acclimate to the new conditions they will not lose their blooms so fast. Unfortunately that means most of the time when you bring a new one home it may lose it flowers quickly, but will show off the next cycle.

Hang in there, it will work out.

[tansyflower]

Maybe, if they are not in immediate danger of dying from rotted roots, hold off on the repotting . Not that I ever do, I love repotting stuff. But if something did wilt after I repotted, I would figure I had done the wrong thing.

Maybe if you are worried about drainage and soggy moss, you could create some more drainage holes (if the pot is plastic).

[CulpableCaptive]

Originally Posted by risa59

I bought a new Phal to celebrate finishing my income taxes and mailing them (and the check!) two weeks ago. Any excuse to celebrate with an orchid, right?!
The lovely little Phal with the two blooming spikes turned out to be two plants in one. They were planted in sphag which I hate since it stays so wet. I repotted both in bark, etc. Within two days both plants have wilting blooms (although their leaves and roots seems fine during the repotting). I've checked the roots again this week and the roots still look fine.
I did soak the bark before I repotted them.
This is the third time this has happened to me in repotting a new Phal from sphag to a bark mixture. Any idea what I might be doing wrong? Is there a way to save the blooms at this stage?

I hate, loath, despise, detest, object to and have no use for sphagnum moss. All I need to do is bring it in the house and my plants start to die. I would have done everything you did except I would have waited until the Phal had finished blooming – keeping a close eye on the amount of water I did or did not apply to the moss.
As long as all appeared to be well, I would have left well enough alone.
Sometimes moving a plant or orchid into another room or even a different location in the same room is enough to set it back a bit. Bringing it home anew AND transplanting can push it over the edge.
I would have waited.

The last Phal which was gifted to me was in sphagnum moss and I couldn’t wait for the spike to die so I could transplant it into my preferred medium. All looked perfectly fine and the spike lasted three and a half months. Even though I had been VERY careful with watering, when I cut off the spike a removed the plant from the pot it did not have a single viable root. That was in 12/08. It has since lost all but one of it’s original leaves but has grown 2 new ones (with a third peaking out) and I am able to see roots on the surface and pushing up against the inside of the clear pot.

I do not think you will be able to reverse any evident setback but I agree with LouisW and think “you just need to keep the root zone a little more moist” – which will keep the roots somewhere between the sphagnum moss sodden mess and the new bark. Water the bark as usual but spray misting the surface daily may be enough for the Phal to recover to a point where you will be able to enjoy the last un-wilted blooms and the spike may extend a bit to surprise you with another flower or two.

We both know how each other feels about sphagnum moss but if I have a new Phal in bloom and REALLY LOVE the bloom – I wait before I remove the moss and set it on fire - The moss, not the Phal.
I think the change of environment AND repotting was too much for this Phal to handle.
If you just can’t wait to repot, restrain yourself for at least a week (or two) until the plant becomes acclimated to its new home and THEN repot to see what happens. You and your new Phal may come out of it undaunted.
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"It is pleasant at times to play the madman." - Seneca (Roman dramatist, philosopher, & politician (5 BC - 65 AD))

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[hulaorchid]

Thanks for sharing CulpableCaptive!! LOL
I don't care for Sphag. either except for mounting and Neos. I have a tendency to overwater. So it is bad news for me. Ditto on all of the above!!

[fred]

Sphagnum moss is a pretty good medium
one has to remember sphagnum moss is a live plant as well and continues to grow.
not all orchids are suited to sphagnum moss
not all orchid growers know how to use this medium as it has been stated its 'too wet'
one of the first thing that happens if sphagnum moss it kept to wet is root rot of the orchid.

I grow alot of genera in sphagnum moss with great success
I put that down to two things first I am able to get fresh live sphagnum moss
second i have learned how to use sphagnum moss as a medium.

its also important to know when using sphagnum moss not to pack the sphagnum moss tightly.

now the next question I can see that I might be asked do I have any Phals in sphagnum moss the answer to that one is yes I do.

yesterday I was with a friend and she had 4 flasks of phals she was potting up for the first time into fresh sphagnum moss into (com pots ) community pots and tubes small one inch pots.

[CulpableCaptive]

Originally Posted by hulaorchid

Thanks for sharing CulpableCaptive!! LOL
I don't care for Sphag. either except for mounting and Neos. I have a tendency to overwater. So it is bad news for me. Ditto on all of the above!!

Don't mention it.
Anytime.
I hope I was succinct and clear.

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"It is pleasant at times to play the madman." - Seneca (Roman dramatist, philosopher, & politician (5 BC - 65 AD))

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[katrina]

I feel the need to come to the rescue of sphag. It is an AWESOME medium to use...IF it's used correctly. Overwater a plant in sphag or strangle the roots w/it...both will end the life of an orchid. Wrap the roots loosely, or just add it in for extra moisture....water accordingly...and you CAN have some really happy 'chids.

It's been said before..and worth repeating....orchids can grow in or on almost anything...but the grower must adjust the culture to fit what that plant is growing in to what it's needs are. There is no one size fits all be it sphag, bark, mounts, etc, etc, etc.

I'm not saying everyone should use it...but it's definitely not a death sentence in and of itself that's for sure.

Risa -- I agree w/Kevin. I can't tell you how many times I've brought home a plant in bud only to have those buds blast w/in a few days. Change of environment can do it quick.

I'd like to add...the quickest way to kill a phal (or other orchid)...and I've done it...is to leave it in a tightly packed pot of sphag. Now that IS death by sphag but it's not the fault of the sphag but rather the improper use of sphag. Repeat after me...strangulation is bad for orchid roots. LOL! I can only surmise that they are packed this way in order to get them shipped w/out falling out of the pots. ?? Best guess.

[davetheorchidaddict]

I repot every orchid that I buy, I have tried to wait for them to stop blooming only to find all the roots rotted off. I have found many orchids will loose their blooms shortly after being purchased, change of environment has a lot to do with it, which way did it face where it came from? I do not like Sphag but I do grow some of my thin rooted plants in and all of my Catasetum and Cinochis (please forgive my spelling) The main thing is that I know what it looks like, photograph it, and set about reblooming it.

I have helped repot plants in an orchid nusery and know how tight we pack the sphag mostly just before going to be sold. I know we all have our own favorite way to grow our orchids and if it works for you, do it. I prefer mounting all orchids possible and others want to have nothing to do with mounting

[dtje2000]

I haven't been doing this for very long, but I've quickly figured out sphag has it's qualities. I've also found that it gets a bad name from improper use to either make a plant look nice or using it as the easier way to get a plant told. Frankly, in the right circumstances, I love the stuff.

[dr_frnkblck]

I have had great success using SM for my Phals. However, every couple of months after watering I try to loosen the moss up a bit because I find it has a tendency to settle and compact around the roots. Unfortunately I haven't had much success with any plant beyond Phals, Masdies, and Draculas using SM. I usually transplant anything else to bark mixture after it's done blooming.

[PhalPal]

Risa I always, ALWAYS repot an orchid when I get it home, regardless of what it is growing in. I can also say I have lost very few buds for having done so. Even if I lost the entire spike (which has never happened) it is better than losing the whole plant to root rot. I grow some of my orchids in sphagnum and really like it, but it took awhile to perfect it's use. The 'skewer method' has helped a lot in training myself when to water with various media.

It's important to know that when we get an orchid from a grower odds are very good that the moss at the center of that root ball is decomposed, old and sopping wet. When the big operations repot they don't take the time to pick out each strand of the old moss like we would carefully and lovingly do! They just up-pot, leaving the old icky stuff invisable to us because it is covered by fresh new moss. Personally I am not a fan of bark and never grow in it as a sole medium. It is either too dry (when it's new) or too wet (when it's old) and it leaves me guessing at every stage inbetween. Maybe mixing in something else with your bark, like coir, chopped sphagnum or shredded coco chips would remedy your problem.