Would someone explain this to me, please!

[orchidea]

I have this Phal (Dtps. Taida Salu) for about 2 month now. Flowers started to fade(as you can see); absolutely no new leaves or roots since I got it as I can tell.....
I was almost sure it didn't want to live anymore when I discovered a new formation at the top of the spike. Looks like new flower buds are forming.....
Did any of you geeks have had something like this??? Is it the poor thing's last song, or it's going to survive in your opinion?
Thank you in advance for all your comments.

[lmartiny]

Some of these Phals. can keep producing on their spikes. The litttle ones especially. Two months is not very long as far as expecting new leaf growth. Takes time sometimes.

[kmarch]

It's not clear ot me why you thought your phal was going to die but it looks and it sounds like it's behaving perfectly normal. Enjoy it!!

[englandfx]

the leaves look rather droopy and soft...
Phal leaves should be stiff and hard to the touch, not flaccid, soft and droopy.

[englandfx]

Also, having only two leaves on a phal is not so good.

[Stelios]

looks just a bit dehydrated to me but normal. Make sure you will either repot it or unpot it to check the roots a bit. Maybe it came in a plastic wrap and it stayed in there for a couple of weeks in the store?

[shaz]

I had a plant look like this recently, it turned out it had root rot have you checked the roots

I'm still waiting to see if my plant will recover.

[mayres]

Is it freshly repotted - first picture looks like it to me?
Did you soak the bark before using it? As noted by others, looks a bit dehydrated - I'd consider soak watering it for some time until the media seems to be holding more water. You should see some condensate on the inside of your pot unless it needs to be watered. In order to see some growth you will need to keep the temps up somewhat - 70 or so - and the humidity up would help too - placing on a saucer or tray of pebbles with water would help. If the plant gets any worse than what it looks now you may want to consider removing the spike so it can focus its energy on reviving.......

[FLBob]

I think that there is a lot of potential for life in the plant. With the conditions being what they are, if I wanted the plant to grow and prosper I'd remove the flower spike. Let the plants energy go into the plant and roots.

I also like to grow my Phals in sphagnum moss. Using good moss that I never let go dry I can take a dessicated phal and have firm unwrinkled leaves in just a few weeks.

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by FLBob

I also like to grow my Phals in sphagnum moss. Using good moss that I never let go dry I can take a dessicated phal and have firm unwrinkled leaves in just a few weeks.

Thank you all so much!!!!!!!!
Yes, I still can't get a good grip on watering......
I don't see how you guys can grow anything in sphag. Sphag was the first thing that came to my mind thinking that it should be the best medium for our dry conditions here. But I don't see how you water Sphag without it staying wet for weeks.... I have some of my plants with a little bit of sphag at the top, and I have to dig the sphag out of the container after each watering and squeeze the water out of it so it's damp but not completely saturated with water.....
The Phal I am posting here, was repotted at least twice. First to S/H and then into a mix - coco croutons, perlite, charcoal and a bit of LECA (that is what you see in the picture). Every time I had some rotten roots. But there are few OK roots are still there.
I feel this poor thing wants to survive and I want to help him do that. That's why I am posting it.....
Should I cut the spike down, even it is trying to bloom at the top???????
Thanks again, and again, and again........

[SamIAm]

Hi Orchidea
I am quite new to the world of orchids, but thought I'd add my two cents worth ...As most of us know, most orchids we get locally come in sphagnum and since I read how awful it was, in most peoples opinions, I repotted mine into fir bark. Well, many of mine started to decline so I did more research to try to find the right media for my environment. I repotted, and removed some roots a couple of times, not a good sign ...I read and reread the sphagnum moss sticky when one comment made by Fred, gave me a *duh* moment ...By the way, Thank You Fred! ...Anyway, the comment Fred made, was that he watered his orchids in sphagnum from the bottom. Brilliant, why hadn't I thought of that. I bought NZ sphagnum moss from rePotme and repotted most of my orchids yet once again, using the slotted clear pots. Success!...Not only have my orchids made a turn for the better, but I also have lots of happy healthy roots growing as well as new leaves ...What I have observed in watering orchids in sphagnum is that it will absorb some water right away, once the water level is no longer dropping, i pour the rest out of the tray and what water has been absorbed quickly will then *wick* its way to the top layer of sphagnum. Viola!...The sphagnum is not saturated and dries quickly. I do understand sphagnum is not for everyones conditions, but so far, it is working for me ...I hope you find what works for you...

[orchidea]

Thank you SamIam,
Sounds like I need to try this method on some of my plants at least.
But, don't I have to worry about salts that stay in sphag from feeding? They will never going to wash out if the water always has an upward direction, right??? Repot more often then?????
Sorry, I'll get home and read all I can find on Sphag tonight.

[PhalNewbie89]

I have a taida salu as well and it seems to me that its flowers just don't last as long. Several are already dying off and she hasn't even finished flowering for me. Kinda makes me sad I was hoping ot get to see it all at once...hope mine continues to make more buds like yours..

[PhalNewbie89]

THose three flowers have all now died on me...I guess it is just their time now but it seemed kind of soon to me.

[SamIAm]

Originally Posted by orchidea

But, don't I have to worry about salts that stay in sphag from feeding? They will never going to wash out if the water always has an upward direction, right??? Repot more often then?????

Ah, good point Orchidea, I am not a weakly weekly kind of person, therefore I am not sure how others who do fertilize weekly handle salt buildup with their orchids that are potted in sphagnum. I have read that sphagnum can/does break down quicker than other medias and as such, it is not unheard of to repot every 6 months. If I *feed* the orchids, I use a vermicompost orchid plant food. The reason I don't fertilize too much, I acquired a Paph that was healthy but had a lot of brown leaf tips, obviously from too much fertilizer, so I gave it a rest. It arrived with a 3rd fan growing and before that 3rd fan matured it was already starting a 4th fan. It is one happy Paph with roots that are circling a 4 inch pot. I guess what I'm saying is, I take my cues from the orchids, not by what I think they need ...

[FLBob]

Orchidea - I switched to growing phals in sphagnum about 4 years ago. I'll never go back.
I re-pot annually, a process that I just finished a few weeks back. I use considerable drainage material at the bottom of each pot. I like activated charcoal, big chunks, but I also use corks from wine bottles (never seem to run out of those). I don't pack the moss, but use enough to hold the plant upright. I select the pot size according to the root mass not the leaf size. I think that over potting is the biggest problem people have with moss. Sized right the plant will absorb the water.
I'm fortunate enough to have R/O municipal water that is of excellent quality. I water right from the garden hose, I don't worry about over watering. I don't want the moss to dry. My smaller plants will need to be watered 3-4 times a week, the larger ones once - twice a week.
I water if the top feels less than moist.
A couple of people in the Venice Orchid Society that have seen my Phals on the plant table have switched to growing phals in moss.

I use a time release fertilizer called nutricoat to feed my plants. Since I truly flush them with each watering I don't have a problem with salt buildup. I also feed with a liquid fertilizer, I think the plants absorb nutrients through the leaves.

Good luck with your plant.

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by FLBob

My smaller plants will need to be watered 3-4 times a week, the larger ones once - twice a week.

Thank you FLBob for such nice walk through your watering technique. Watering Phals in sphag 3-4 times a week in Florida!!!!????? Now I know that my poor phals are all dehydrated...... On top of that I came home from work to see my hygrometers showing 20% relative humitidy....
And that is with the humidifyer going all the time.....
Oh boy, something needs to be done

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by PhalNewbie89

..hope mine continues to make more buds like yours..

Well, I am not so sure what is going on yet, and that is why I placed my post. But I will try to keep you updated. Thank you PhalNewbie89 for letting me know about your Phal. I hope it will bring you more flowers in the future.

[PhalNewbie89]

Good luck, I was sent mine the way it is so it hasnt got much to do with what I have done but I like to think I have done well since she has kept blooming :P..I just hate to see her flowers die so soon

[tizzycat]

It's interesting to note that the geeks who have success with sphagnum moss live in a climate where the moss dries out fairly quickly.

Unfortunately things don't work like that in the UK (I wish they did), so I cannot say I have had any success with spahgnum as a medium.

[Forever-mango]

I've notice the new flower buds forming on my miniature phals. The last flower bud opened slightly and dropped off, after 3 weeks it formed 6 new flower buds. The blooms has been opened for 2 months now, cant believe how long the flowers lasts for!

[psyc1210]

Originally Posted by englandfx

Also, having only two leaves on a phal is not so good.

How is this? A Phal can have many leaves, or not many at all. My Mini Mark 'Holm' twins both always have 2-3 leaves. And they are perfectly healthy.

[PhalNewbie89]

My NOID phal had 4 when I got it and recently it popped out a new one and when it got big enough to help sustain life a little the two smallest leaves died off :P

[psyc1210]

Not to mention I just remembered my 3 Phal braceanas carry anywhere from 1-3 leaves each.

[englandfx]

A phal having only one leaf will stress the plant.

[psyc1210]

Originally Posted by englandfx

A phal having only one leaf will stress the plant.

What you are saying is not entirely true. SOME Phals would be stressed by having only a few leaves, or even only one, however in other instances it is perfectly fine for a Phal to have few leaves....Phals are not all the same. Some will have many leaves, some will have fewer. It's all dependent on the plant itself, and it's genetics as well.