rescued phal, split/mangled leaves

[tangers40]

i rescued yet another phal from the lowe's rescue rack yesterday. aside from being typically droopy, the top-most leaf is completely split in 2 vertically down the vein line. the split goes practically to the crown. the edges of the 2 halves seem to have cauterized themselves so i don't think any sort of disease will take over at this point. my question is, will the plant be OK like this? another of its leaves is missing a sizeable chunk as well. i can provide pics if necessary too. it desperately needs a repot, of which i'll tackle tomorrow night as the bark is soaking as i type this, and i have no idea what sort of shape the roots are in. right now, i'm just wondering if i should leave the split leaf alone or attempt to cut it off.

[Yiu Lin]

I'd leave it alone. If there doesn't look to be any fungal infection, it should be fine.
A couple of my catts are also split in two, down the vein line. Doesn't seem to harm the plant at all.

[kninum]

it might not be pretty but i'd leave alone for now.....if it looks otherwise healthy. i have a few that have splits in their leaves, they seem none the worse for it. If the roots are damaged then it would probably try to make more before it got onto making a new leaf- so preserve it as long as you can, you'll "need the green", if it's condition declines to rot then get rid of it .

GOOD LUCK


i've come to love rescue phals...their will to live is surprizing

[tangers40]

it actually has a tiny new leaf coming in above the split leaf, so i guess it's not really the "top" leaf, it's actually the top MATURE leaf. anyway.

i have one other rescue phal and it seems to be doing well. all it needed was some water. not sure what i'm in for with this one as i have yet to get it out of the pot, but judging by the conditions of the leaves, it's had a rough life so far.

[mayres]

I have a very large leaf phal that kept "jumping" off the shelf last summer while in spike. One leaf was split all the way and several others were bent and chewed up looking. I just left them as is and now there are two new leaves on top - it doesn't appear to be the worse for wear.........let 'er be - should be no problem other than aesthetics as long as disease organisms don't get a foothold at the breaks.

[myorchid]

I also have a large Phal that came to me with a split leave, I left it alone and two more leaves have grown on top of it. It did not seem to bother it. So long as it is healthy.

[tangers40]

well, here's the bad news: repotted it tonight, and it only has ONE (maybe two) good root, and it's only about an inch and a half long the rest were rotted. i was told by the lowe's plant lady that it may have been that way when they got their last shipment.

any advice for a (more or less) rootless phal now?

[mayres]

Can you post a pic?
You want to keep the pot size as small as reasonable for the plant size you have left. I'm assuming this will mean downsizing from what you started with? Maybe not depending.
You want the roots left and root area to have plenty of humidity/moisture - but not soggy. Many would use sphag - I'd use coir. If you use bark - you want to soak it really good and maybe consider downsizing to small bark or small/medium mixed. If I used bark I'd consider misting around the base of the plant where new roots would form between waterings - just to add a little moisture and encourage new root formation.
Others will probably have some other great ideas - this is just my 2cents worth..........good luck!

[kninum]

some sphag moss, the fresher the better,
some rooting hormone ( i've used a gel by Wilson's called "roots" that has a fungicide in it as well)
and crossed fingers.....

i've lost some rootless Phals and i've got others that have pulled thru....... the trick is too keep the leaves healthy long enough while the roots have time to grow......be very careful to keep it moist but not too damp and keep the water out from between the leaves (holding it upside down when misting is helpful-misting is good to stave off leaf dehydration)

[trinigirl]

I think there is a good chance your phal will pull through this tough time by following some of the good advice given above. I have had phals like yours before, and most have done well with a lot of attention.

[tangers40]

unfortunately, stupid me didn't think to get pics of the lack of roots or anything important like that lol. but i got a couple pics afterwards of the overall pitiful state of the plant. i will definitely go by the advice given and see if i can't save the poor thing.

[tangers40]

bad news: it's gone. took it to the sink to water it again tonight and this is what i got. i'm assuming this is what crown rot looks like? the entire top half just fell off in my hand. oh well, i tried, but i think it was too far gone to salvage.

[Yiu Lin]

Yes, that is crown rot.
Condolences.... Better cheer up with a new orchid!

[articuno75]

So sorry to see that. OUCH.

[mayres]

I concur with Yiu Lin - time to focus on happy things - get another orchid to enjoy!

[tangers40]

lol yes, all of you are enablers! you're as bad as the people on the betta forum i frequent! lol! i was actually thinking that to myself last night....."gee, now i have room for another orchid....perhaps a healthy one this time". my last bloomer is now done so i have no pretty flowers right now, so i think i need a new one in bloom.

[lmartiny]

[QUOTE bad news: it's gone.

Sorry, but my first reaction was a chuckle, seeing your 1-15 post then right after that your 1-21. With the pictures especially. Not that its funny. (I can have an odd sense of humor sometimes I guess)
That was quick. But they can go pretty quick. I've had two goners in the last couple of months. One a phal and one a vanda. The vanda was small but different as the leaves were pencil shaped. I regret losing it. I couldn't pull it through.
Trying to keep the rest alive. There is another phal on death watch, and it still has its pretty blooms. (new in Dec. and recently repotted with barely a good root) It might meet your's in orchid heaven in another week or so.
So as others suggested above, get a new one to feel better.

[tangers40]

Originally Posted by lmartiny

That was quick. But they can go pretty quick.

i thought it was pretty quick, too. not that it was completely healthy when i got it, but it still did seem to go downhill in a hurry. aside from being rootless, the rest of the plant looked more or less OK when i repotted it, but i guess it was rotting from the inside out. i have to head right by lowe's tomorrow while out running errands....lol hopefully they'll lock their doors and not let me in.