Four Sad Phals & A Tolumnia...

[Amblnc38]

I went into Merryfield Gardens today with my mother. (Bad idea to begin with.)

I came upon what had to be the saddest bunch of "marked down" Orchids ever. Let me tell you....it was hard to walk away from some of them, but I don't know how my husband would feel if I spent $100 on orchids, most of which were past blooming. I walked away from at least half a dozen plants that I would have killed for. A Colmanara Jungle MOnarch "everglades" and a Onc Space Race "Coco"....they wanted $30 for each and neither was in bloom and both were in need of TLC. :\ I couldn't talk them down on them. I really dislike large nurseries, since I know that unless someone from this forum goes and buys them they will simply become "compost".

But I did talk them down on four pathetic little Phals in desperate need of water and new medium. Two with mealie bugs. Well, I paid $2.50 each, bought some hydropots and found some Charcoal to mix with the miracle grow mix I have at home. I asked about the expanded clay stuff....they told me the price jumped on it so much they quit carrying it. I am hoping to find spaghnum cheaper at walmart. They'll probably all be pink, or something. But if I can make them happy, I will be happy. I will take root pictures once I get back home and start repotting.

Well, I walked by the non-sale orchids. And laid my eyes upon the tiniest thing I've ever seen in my life. I have no idea if $10 was a good deal or not...but it was going to be mine. It's a Tolumnia "Pink Panther". I'm going to spend the next week or two drooling daily over it. I do not intend to move it from it's pot while it's blooming.

But once I do, I'd like to "mount" it....can I mount to drift wood? I pick the stuff up from the beach all the time. So it's "natural" driftwood.

I have attached pictures. If you see anything you think is off please let me know. I have already begun adressing the mealie bug issue. I sprayed them with some room-temperature soap water mixture, let it sit for a couple minutes then wiped all the leaves dry.

Naturally their labels say "3 ice cubes a week"! ...Heh.

[Phalcycle]

They look relatively healthy, showing signs of new growth.
For mounting, make sure you rinse the woods before you mount to remove salts, dirts and such.
The phals shouldn't give your any trouble, they just look out of bloom witht eh exception of the sencond one in the second picture.

[Amblnc38]

That one is the only one that came completely in Spagh. I watered her hoping that's what causing the wrinkles. I guess I'll know in the next day or two. Once i get back home I'm re-potting them all. Would now be a good time to give them some super-thrive?

[Amblnc38]

Here's some close ups of the roots on the most sickly of the Phals. I've treated it for mealy bugs and watered her, I have taken her completely out of her pot....but the roots all look dead to me. The Spagh is mush. What should I do? Remove all the roots and bag? I really don't know what to do.

[Phalcycle]

Remove all rotted roots and material.
Take out all old medium and repot into a new medium or use the method of Sphag and Bag,.
You would remove all the rotted roots and place the phal into some moss and cover with bag, allowing air to still stay inside while raising the humidity around its enviroment.

[Amblnc38]

Am I safe assuming that they are all rotted except for the nobby roots just starting to peak out?

[katrina]

Yep...they look pretty dried up to me. I can't see what's on the inside of that sphag but the outside roots look like they are done. If there are any firm roots inside the sphag leave those...trim any dried up and/or mushy roots.

While you have it out of the pot and roots trimmed...I would soak it in a bit of soapy (lightly soapy), tepid water for awhile (15-20 mins) to kill off the mealy bugs. Swish the whole plant in the soapy water making sure to submerge the leaves and get good coverage for all surfaces. After the soak time is up...rinse well and then pot it up.

I wouldn't bag it because it'll be harder to keep any eye out for any re-infestation.

[Amblnc38]

I have cut the roots and am in the process of soaking. Attached is the pictures of inside the root ball pre and post surgery. On hand I have large mulch which I'm currently boiling water to sanitize, and agri-charcoal. I'm hoping the bark and some make-shift paperclip, pot clips will be enough.

Let me know if I should cut any of the remaining roots.

[Amblnc38]

Here's my girl post operation and soaking, plus a picture of the medium I've cooked up. It's agri-coal & large chunk shredded mulch. I suppose later down the line once the roots get better I can move her into something else.

Part of me also know that I only paid $2.50 for her...and if she dies I won't be too upset. But still, I'd like to see her take off.

[Amblnc38]

Here she is "secured" to the medium. Which is 75/25 bark and coal. I ended up securing her with some cotton yarn I have since apparently my paperclip stash disappeared. Let me know what you think....

Also, no signs of mealy bugs.

Should I wet the material daily or give it a week or so? I don't really know how to encourage growth at this point....I could create a saran-warp "tent" around her to increase the humidity.

[Ron]

Hi I think you have done a fair job of "rescuing" the plant.
Looks like it was grown by a armature nursery with all that spag packed so tightly.
I would pull it back out of the pot it so the medium when place back will come up just under the leaves.
Reason for this is when the new roots start to grow they will grow straight into the medium
Plus it will help keep the plant more stable

see a photo of how mine are potted low in the pot, this is a 18 month old plant on its first flowering.
As for watering I would let the medium nearly dry out then re-water, remember there are no roots in the medium yet.
Also mist the leaves early in the morning with a little sea weed extract to help it recover, keep it in a warm brightly lit area but out of direct sunlight
Best of luck

[Amblnc38]

They all say "product of Canada, Harster GHS Inc." THis is the only one completely in Spagh though....the other's are in mulch/perlite.

I will move her down into the mix more. That's the largest reason I kept posting pictures, so if I did mess up somewhere along the line someone could tell me where.....

So burying Phal's to just under their leaves is okay and doesn't harm the plant? I'm sure that different from what I read on my other two orchids, but I'm starting to figure out they area lot like my bunnies....same animal species, different temperaments. I will fix her up in a few and post a new picture.

Edited to add picture:

[NiNiDazzle]

I know this is totally off topic, but are those clear pots actually called "hydropots"? Or do they have a different name? I've been on the lookout for these and haven't run across them at Home Depot or Lowes.

I know we can use anything really but I can only eat so much cold deli items. lol

[Amblnc38]

Haha, yeah that's what they were sold to me as, though I don't plan on setting up a hydro-system. You'll likely have to go to a nursery to get them or order them online.

[NiNiDazzle]

All my 'chids are in semi-hydro and I'm always on the lookout for good clear plastic pots.

Trying to find a local source so that I don't have to pay the shipping fees.

[BGGraham1]

I found a place that specializes in selling hydroponic supplies for medicinal, uh, cannabis here in Oxnard and what do you know? They had the perfect orchid pots with slits up the sides and everything! I picked up some 3-inch and 5-inch pots for 35 cents each! Check out my post titled "I hope I done good"

Maybe if you live in an area where they grow the other stuff, there will be a hydroponic store close by?

[Ron]

Originally Posted by Amblnc38

They all say "product of Canada, Harster GHS Inc." THis is the only one completely in Spagh though....the other's are in mulch/perlite.

I will move her down into the mix more. That's the largest reason I kept posting pictures, so if I did mess up somewhere along the line someone could tell me where.....

So burying Phal's to just under their leaves is okay and doesn't harm the plant? I'm sure that different from what I read on my other two orchids, but I'm starting to figure out they area lot like my bunnies....same animal species, different temperaments. I will fix her up in a few and post a new picture.

Edited to add picture:

That looks very nice, soon it should produce new roots and they should grow straight down it the mix and they old ones lef may produce new root growth too.
Remember do not keep the mix too wet, let it nearly dry out then rewater.
When you see a lot of condensation inside the clear plastic, it is wet.
Best of luck
Ron

[Amblnc38]

I'm going to report the other three the same way, though the others have *much* nicer roots. Thank you for all the advice.

My little Tolumnia is starting to peak out slowly. I'm all sorts of excited.

[phalaephila]

I just want to comment on the driftwood, if you decide to use some as a mount: Don't just rinse it, be sure to soak the wood, replacing the water a few times. Driftwood that has been soaked in salt water will have absorbed a lot of salt, and you will need to reverse the process.

Looking forward to seeing your Tolumnia blooms!

[Amblnc38]

I will definitely post pictures once she pops. She's so tiny next to my Brassia.....

[Amblnc38]

I posted pictures of her here:

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...k-panther.html

[amersault]

i'm chiming in from the driftwood as well: you need to soak it out prior to use. could take days or a week to leech the salt out. if it was just regular wood, we'd be leeching tannins out. the way i knew it was good to use was when after having the wood sit in the water, the water remained clear (no more tannins). then you know it's safe to use.

good luck on all that - good on you for rescuing the Phals. and the Tol - what a keeper

[NiNiDazzle]

Originally Posted by amersault

i'm chiming in from the driftwood as well: you need to soak it out prior to use. could take days or a week to leech the salt out. if it was just regular wood, we'd be leeching tannins out. the way i knew it was good to use was when after having the wood sit in the water, the water remained clear (no more tannins). then you know it's safe to use.

good luck on all that - good on you for rescuing the Phals. and the Tol - what a keeper

I'm glad I read this. I just bought some pine wood to mount my minis and would not have known to soak out the tannins. Thanks!

[amersault]

Originally Posted by NiNiDazzle

I'm glad I read this. I just bought some pine wood to mount my minis and would not have known to soak out the tannins. Thanks!

you're welcome! esp with pine, i recommend dunking in a bucket or a kitty litter tray and let sit. it may take a few days, depending on the size of the mount. stop only when the water is clear. will save you future grief with your minis - good luck

[Amblnc38]

Honestly, I think I'm gonna mount her to one of my conch shells at this point. I'm soaking the shell now, and am going to drill a small hole into it with my my drill to get all the sand out.

[Amblnc38]

I'm sad to report I've lost the most sickly of the Phals. All the roots are gone and when I bagged it following the instructions here it quickly turned into a fungus farm.

The other three are shooting out new roots and I've only had repeat bug issues with one. I've since potted them in an actual bark mix.

My Tolumnia is doing very well, but starting to die back flower wise.

[Amblnc38]

*update*

I've got a bit of a scare with one of the other Phals, but I think she's shooting out a new root! So I'm hopefully! The other two Phals are doing GREAT! I'm planning on buying some more mix in the next week to take it out of hydro!









My Tolumnia is shooting out another "base" or maybe a spike, I really don't know. You can sort of see it sticking out on the bottom left of the plant.