My Wilting Mini Phal?

[shaz]

Hi Guys

I've been observing my mini phal for several weeks now - it wilts during the day and perks back up overnight. At first I was worried about it but in every other way it seems to be a perfectly normal healthy plant, the colour of the leaves are good, the blooms look good, it is recently repotted and had roots checked and was ok...

It doesn't need watering, it is in a south facing window but it has been mostly overcast/rainy for the last few weeks so it has not been to bright for it...

By the end of the day it always looks like it is really thirsty but by mid-morning the next day it will look perfect again...

So I was just wondering if anyone else has a plant that does this

And could there be a problem I have missed

I have started to think that it is a quirk with this plant, but it must use up an awful lot of energy and wonder if it will have any left for growth when the time comes

[lmartiny]

That does seem a bit unusual. I've got plants in the yard that do that. If a Phal gets wilty, it stays that way until I can manage to pull it out of it.

[mehitabel]

I don't think it's a quirk. My guess is that during the day it is giving up more water to transpiration than it can take in thru the roots. Is it near a source of heat that runs thru the day? If it's not on a humidity tray, I would contrive one right away. All you need is a saucer of water under it, with the pot elevated above the water, and in no way pot touching the water. That creates a humid mini-environment.

Misting it a couple of times might help, or a humidity dome if you have it, or clear plastic baggies on the leaves for a few weeks.

That's what I would do. No guarantees, of course.

[shaz]

Originally Posted by mehitabel

My guess is that during the day it is giving up more water to transpiration than it can take in thru the roots. Is it near a source of heat that runs thru the day?

No, it's in my bathroom and we have the radiator turned off in there...but it would explain why it always looks great after morning showers!

To see if it is the humidity I have moved it too the kitchen which is the most humid room in the house and it has alot of plants so the environment is probably more to it's liking, I've put it next to the geraniums which are usually sat in water so we will see.....

[mehitabel]

Originally Posted by shaz

No, it's in my bathroom and we have the radiator turned off in there...but it would explain why it always looks great after morning showers!

LOL, shaz, it would indeed

It might need a tad more water, too. Didn't you mention finding minis hard, and I replied that I find small plants hard because it's hard to get the watering right? I think so. Well, it's hard to get the watering right, and wilting during the day could be sign that it would like water a little more often, too.

[shaz]

yea, mehitabel, I can't remember what thread I said that on...but it's always the minis that give me grief lol...

With the big ones I wait till they are completely dry to water them but I might not wait so long to water my minis in future and see what that does

[mehitabel]

What you say makes me think yes, water more often, Shaz. You should not wait til they are completely dry to water. With a big pot, there is often a bit of residual moisture even when they seem dry, so they have a little tolerance for underwatering. But with small pots, they do dry out completely. That's what makes them harder-- their tolerance for a little underwatering is zip. You have to be much more careful with watering small pots.

Phals need to be evenly moist, not wet and not dry. It's a Goldilocks thing. Too wet rots the roots, and too dry is also harmful. Too dry slows down photosynthesis, makes the medium more saline, which is itself harmful, and tends to kill off the root tips. After a few weeks of too-dry, the plant can start to lose leaves.

Figure on watering when they are barely moist. The easiest way I've found to know when to water is just to lift the pot. A just-watered pot feels heavy, and so does a moistish pot. A pot that needs watering feels light. This is an easy method to learn, and quite accurate.

[kmarch]

I second mehitabel's transpiration thoughts.

[shaz]

Hm, actually the weight of the pot is usually how I decide when to water, and for the big plants it is a good system exept for 1 plant - I have 1 phal with massive leaves but it is in a smallish pot (compared to leaves) which gets watered more often, it doesn't like drying out as then it can't get enough water so I guess I will treat my minis like I do that one!

Pictured are the blooms of the mini in question,

for the advice, will let you know if it makes a difference.