Phal airborn root treatment...

[amersault]

hi, all -

i'm new to the forum, but not new to keeping orchids. my question is w/ regards to aerial roots on phals - i have a 4 yr old phal that deserves to be repotted. this sits on a West-facing windowsill and enjoys the passing sun. we get a spectacular show come Christmas that lasts nearly 5 months.

if i repot this weekend, can i leave the airborne roots untouched? my intent is to just refresh the potting medium and add a tray beneath.

accompanying pic was taken around Christmas 07. the aerial roots are 2x as many now!

[articuno75]

Amersault

You should be fine leaving the aerial roots alone. My concern is has this Phal been in the clay pot this whole time? Reason is Phal roots like to stick to clay and you might have some damage while repotting. Be sure to soak the pot for a while before attempting to remove.

[E-Jag]

Sure, you can leave the aerial roots as they are. The phal is obviously happy. I have 2 phals with a lot of aerial roots and I just repot (in the same pot) around them. Some people soak them for awhile to make them more pliable, then carefully cover them up or point the roots back into the mix. Frankly, I'm just too lazy to do this and don't see any particular reason to fool with them. Check your other roots, though, and trim off any dead or rotten ones - there will probably be a few. And WELCOME!!

_________________
E-Jag

[amersault]

thank you both for the welcome and your replies! i have 2 other phals that are beginning to sport the same look, so i'm relieved to hear i can leave well enough alone.

articuno75, the orchid still remains in the original plastic slatted pot that resides w/in the clay pot.

E-Jag, i intend to give this plant the general makeover and do the usual trim and maintenance before replacing the medium

i don't usually repot this late in the season, but i think this one deserves it!

[digitalgate]

i think that really depend on how brave you are. I would bury everthing but not those to
refuse to bend.
It is tricky to know which can bend which cannot bend.

[phalaephila]

Hi there:

I have a couple phals that folks probably think should have been repotted a while ago. I have a tendency not to repot if the plant is exceptionally happy. Case in point: I have a Phal. Kuntrarti Rarashati 'Copperstate' which I purchased about three years ago. Below is a photo that was taken at the beginning of this year. Right now, there are the two spikes you see in the picture - I just removed a keiki from the spike on the left, there is a flower and a developing keiki on the spike on the right. Also, there is a newer spike in full bloom with seven flowers and two buds. That spike may not be done growing, and two flowers have fallen this week. Plus, a fourth spike started growing at the end of July. Every once in a while I tell myself I will repot this one if it ever takes a break....

In reality, I really think that my phals prefer to grow on clay pots, sort of mounted, I guess. I have two other phals that have roots happily growing out and around their clay pots. They probably won't be repotted anytime soon, either. Perhaps the roots in the medium are rotting or nonexistant, but the plants are healthy and bloom every year on schedule. Attached are two other phals I no longer own (gave away, not dead), but the plants were extremely happy this way. Who knows, but this type of growing works for me.

Jeanne

P.S. I love roots

[amersault]

they wouldn't bend as much even after some wetting so rather than break them, i've decided to let them continue to hang outside.

a few pics of the process. the first shows the phal before a trim and cleaning. the seconds hows the newly potted phal in healthy medium.

glad i decided to do this now as the original bark had reduced to soil consistency. i kept the spike from December. hopefully we'll get a rebloom by Christmas and the stress of this 1st repot is minized.

[articuno75]

Wow!!! Look and those healthy roots!!!

[patticake]

Wow! Nice roots! Nice re-pot too! Remember that the mix will dry out a lot faster now than when it was broken down, so you may have to water a little more often. It looks great!

[amersault]

thanks, all! i was surprised to see such a healthy root mass after all this time. i only trimmed off 3 end shoots that shriveled and died. had to judiciously prune some of the white areas to give it a little more room in the pot.

and since the medium is now new and porous, i've added a pebble tray to help w/ humidity.

thank you, phalaephila, for sharing your photos - your Phals are beautiful! that gives me confidence to leave my other plants in the same condition. i agree w/ you that if the Phal is happy, leave it alone! i've got a couple more that seem to be climbing out of their pots but as i enjoy the leggy effect, i'll leave them be

hope to post picts of repeat show in December...

[digitalgate]

those are healthy roots

[phalaephila]

Amersault:

Great plant and roots. Good growing!

jeanne

[amersault]

thanks, Jeanne! i'll leave the roots to take over like your Phal. Kuntrarti Rarashati

[amersault]

just to reprise my very 1st post on Geeks - thanks everyone for all our fabulous advice!

we got this guy to rebloom after a late repot

images below and here's the happy plant today. aerial roots are still very much aerial

[CharliesAngel51]

Looks good. If it was happy that way before why change it. "If it ain't broke don't fix it."

Thanks for the update.

Margaret

[articuno75]

The plant looks like a beast about to jump out of that pot.

[amersault]

thanks, guys!

Jenny - you're right on that! there's only about 3 or 4 good roots in that pot, the rest are all aerials! the plant is literally just sitting on the bark and leaning back.

the only reason it's still upright is bc i drove a stake in and tied the crown to it to keep it from falling over, otherwise, this is one really happy Phal

Geek advice: proven gold

[lmartiny]

Looks good. Nice job. Pretty yellow as well. I like that Phals can look funky and their foliage is pretty even when not in bloom.

[Kayla]

Originally Posted by articuno75

Amersault

You should be fine leaving the aerial roots alone. My concern is has this Phal been in the clay pot this whole time? Reason is Phal roots like to stick to clay and you might have some damage while repotting. Be sure to soak the pot for a while before attempting to remove.

I just put my Cyms in a clay pot. Do their roots stick to the pot too?

[articuno75]

All roots will stick to clay over time. (If it is unglazed or terra cota.) Clay is a porous material and roots just love to adhere to it. Nothing to fear. It just takes more time to get out of the pot, minor root damage when removing for a repot and if the pot isn't important, just break it out. I have several plants in clay, including Phals. Your Cym will be fine.

[patticake]

Your phal looks gorgeous, Anna! Yay! I love the color!

[PhalPal]

Nice phal Anna! Have you thought about putting it on a slab or in a basket??? I think that is what he is trying to tell you. I have a few like that that are whispering to me right now....get me out of this pot.......

[hulaorchid]

Very healthy looking phal! Beautiful color! Looks familiar? lol Looks like it wants to go for a walk outside! hehe!!