Reviving a Phal. schilleriana

[MelissaSE]

Is the "spagh & bag" method good only for reviving the roots on a phal, or could it be used on one that is about to lose its last leaf?

I got this plant (in a 3" pot) at Carter & Holmes about 6-7 months ago, and it looked like it was doing well in my southeast windowsill. About a month ago I noticed one of its 2 leaves had a red cast all over, with the tip looking dry. I moved it farther from the window to reduce the light, and repotted in a slightly looser medium (RePotMe's classic phal mix). It has some pretty good looking roots.

Last week, I removed the reddish leaf, as it had gone completely brown and dry. Now, this morning the other leaf is starting to turn red . I moved the plant completely out of the window, but it looks like some quick first aid is needed before I have a totally leafless phal!

Will bagging it help? Or should I let nature take its course and see if it will grow some new leaves?

[orchidaddict789]

That's strange. I've never heard of a phal having its leaves turn red and fall off. Hmm. I'm not sure what's going on. Usually, phals lose their leaves due to crown rot. Do you see any brown areas near the crown and the base of the leaves? Is the crown itself (the area in the middle) still okay (i.e., not rotten)? Also, are there pests?

If it is crown rot, then there's not much you can do. You can keep it and hope it can grow a basal keiki from the bottom.

If it isn't crown rot...then we can hope that the plant will continue growing new leaves from the top.

Since it has good roots, I don't think you need to bag it. I'm not sure what's wrong, but good air circulation can prevent rots and some types of pests.

[zaeem]

Leaves will fall off,but this maybe adjusting and grow new leaves.goodluck.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by zaeem

Leaves will fall off,but this maybe adjusting and grow new leaves.goodluck.

Somehow I don't think that a phal that's down to it's last leaf is just "adjusting to it's new conditions" especially since it's been 6-7 months. I suspect a cultural problem, perhaps too much light/too hot/too dry something along those lines. The red leaves suggest to me too much light, the withering (but the plant still has good roots) suggests either too dry or too hot.

I agree that the sphag-n-bag wont' do much for the plant as it is a technique for encouraging root growth not leaf growth. I'd give it more mild conditions. Keep it gently and evenly moist, not as much light.

What are your day and night time temps like and how much humidity do you have?

[FLBob]

Without leaves the plant will have a hard time feeding itself, making a comeback very difficult.

The sphag in bag technique may have some promise as creates an environment of high humidity.

Given the info you provided, my guess is that as the sun became lower in the sky, your south east window location became a bit bright, and with the warmth created by the sun on the glass a bit too dry.

[psyc1210]

Regarding the reddish leaves, my schilleriana when it loses leaves, they are not a banana yellow that I normally see from my other Phals. The schilleriana I have, the leaves turn a pinkish/reddish pastel color before falling off. Maybe just because of the pigmentation in the leaves? Not sure what to tell you about it only having 1 leaf. If I were you I'd be try moving it to another location to see if that helps. I agree with Kevin that it is probably cultural. Did you check for any pests by chance?

[MelissaSE]

Originally Posted by kmarch

Somehow I don't think that a phal that's down to it's last leaf is just "adjusting to it's new conditions" especially since it's been 6-7 months. I suspect a cultural problem, perhaps too much light/too hot/too dry something along those lines. The red leaves suggest to me too much light, the withering (but the plant still has good roots) suggests either too dry or too hot.

I'm beginning to think this is the problem. A careful inspection of the crown shows no sign of rot. It does look dry.

Temperatures are around 77-78F during the day, no lower than 68F at night -- these are the household temps. In this windowsill, I imagine morning temp could go higher when the sun is coming in (through a sheer curtain). Night temps may be as low as 58-65F, since I have been cracking the window at night for the past few weeks. I run a small fan on "low" for air circulation during the day. Watering is generally once a week, but I mist twice a day.

Here are some photos I took this morning - hope I've managed to download them properly!

I will try to give this little guy more moisture and less light and see if it can pull through... Many thanks for all your suggestions and help!

[mayres]

My own personal opinion (for what its worth) is that this plant needs WAY more moisture than its probably getting. Misting your plants is of marginal value. Do you soak water with that mix? From your pics it "looks" really dry? If that media is absorbing and retaining moisture you should see condensate on the inside of the pot. You might consider a more moisture retentive media"

[E-Jag]

I agree with Mike that it looks dehydrated. I personally would pull the plant out of the pot and completely submerge it in lightly fertilized water for 24 hours. Repot it in whatever potting medium you're comfortable with and water it a couple of times a week, depending upon that medium. If the plant has roots they will get water to the leaf but it needs to be rehydrated quickly. Soaking it is not harmful to it.

[psyc1210]

I see that you have your schill in one of the air cone type pots where it sits in the net basket, and that sits inside a regular pot. I agree with the previous posters that it is too dry. Judging by the photos it is definitely too dry, and you are definitely getting air around the roots in that pot, but it needs to be watered more often. You should try the skewer watering method where the skewer lets you know how much moisture is in the pot. I personally would put it in a regular pot, not in one of the net pots inside a regular pot.

[koshki]

Keeping a phal in bark properly hydrated has been one of my big problems. I just can't keep them wet enough without losing the roots to rot.

I highly recommend Mike's coir mix, or perhaps for this thirsty plant, sphagnum to get it back in shape.

Oh, and I use those same pots, and really like them for phals and other plants. Just find a better medium.

[MelissaSE]

Thanks again to all for the suggestions.

I removed this plant from the pot earlier today and soaked it for about 3 hours (after potting medium was removed). I repotted with a less-chunky medium and added a good bit of sphagnum - all the new media was soaked before I repotted. It is now in a room that gets bright light but only about 1/2 as much as the original location. It's on a humidity tray and will be watered more often than I had been doing.

I usually have to restrain myself from overwatering - apparently I went too far the other way with this one.