found out my poor phal is dead :(

[KitterKitten]

i am a newbie, i have noticed during the past couple weeks my first phal has been loosing leaves, we went from about 6, and after the third fell off tonight i did some investigating. it was in sphag moss, PACKED IN! took me a good while to get it all out but i only discovered that every single root was completely rotted not a single one was even half alive, i was dumb founded. i thought i was doing everything right, watering about every 8 to 9 days, five min of direct sunlight every now and again, always in the late afternoon. misting, fertilizing, love and adoration. anyway, i have another one which i repotted a while back in a barksoil, of course i freaked out tonight and checked its roots, they look nice and plump, green and silvery, but it to has lost a few leaves, when i repotted it i think i placed it to deep, and maybe thats why? it hasnt lost any recently, but one small leaf on the bottom is starting to curl and turn yellow, i have ordered "orchids for dummies" online tonight but i still want to ask for some advice and not waste anytime if this could be a matter where time is of the essence

[englandfx]

I see that is a common problem for most orchid newbies when it comes to phalaenopsis orchids and sphag moss.

Late direct afternoon sun is not good for phals.

[kid a]

The good news is with some TLC you rootless orchid can come back! I had one when I first started growing and the exact same thing happened. I repotted it and just kept watering as normal and mixing in some super thrive every now and then. And a year later i had a few new roots, and then a new leaf and then another one, i sold it in our society sale at the last show, granted it still wasn't back to blooming sized yet but it was getting there slowly, it just took some tlc. Normally now i would just toss out something like that rather than try to save it and buy a new one, but I know that is not the easiest thing to do when your in the beginning stages of the orchid addiction lol.

It is normal for phals to shed the lowest leafs occasionally. Now if it was a top leaf or if you loose more than a few leaves at the same time on the bottom I would be concerned. But rest assured it is normal for the old leaves to die off. I would leave it on there until falls off on its own or until the whole thing is yellow.

Most of the time phals and even some other types of orchids (like a catt alliance orchid i saw the other day) from grocery stores or big box stores that come in spahg are over packed and the spahg doesn't dry out evenly. I learned that hard way too I lost several of my first orchids not realizing what they were potted in. But if you haven't already tossed it I say give it a try at reviving it, it is a good and rewarding experience. Another option you have since it has no roots in the sphag n bag method, it works pretty well too!

there is a thread around here about spahg n bag process but i can't figure out where it is But here is another good idea to help with watering!

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...f-orchids.html
Edited by Fred [ http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...n-for-newbies/ ] other information can be found with this link as well as spahg n bag

[kid a]

Direct sun is probably not going to hurt it if it is just for a few minutes as long as the leaves don't get really hot, but phals require pretty low light compared to some other orchids. In a brightly lit rom with natural light or in a window sill on the east side with sheer curtains in it or something like that. You could move it a few feet back from your light source but that is probably not what caused your good phal to loose a leaf it is normal. If you have a camera you can post a picture of it for us to look at

[fred]

give this link a read the culture sheet AOS | Phalaenopsis

please keep asking for our advice you will get heaps of knowledge here form our geeks

[patticake]

Orchids for Dummies is a great book! The Ortho book on orchids is a great starter book as well! Also,... Let us know how you make out!

[digitalgate]

Can you provide a shade cloth for the plant? That way you can put it in the sun all day long. Also plant do not like to be move, they grow sloooowwwwllllyyyy.

[Leathal]

Don't feel bad, I think I killed one of my Catts. I didn't think I was over watering since it is so hot hee in Florida and I always have breezes coming through the lanai. When I took it out of the bark mix, all the roots were mushy. I found what looked to be one trying to pop out, and there was a new leaf growth. So I put it in S/H and poured root stim on it. I'm just hoping for that little node to pop a root. If it hasn't done anything in a month, I may just replace it. I just don't have luck with the bigger catts.

[girishgkulkarni]

This is a typical problem with the orchids sold in the lowes, home depot....

If you do not know how to identify the condition of the roots by looking at the way it is packed (especially in the earthen pots), it would be better to keep way from these to avoid a later disappointment.

I have myself some experience with the exact same situation before as KitterKitten (both my Phals died.)

A lot of times the phals grown in bark are better off... the key I think here is to be able to identify whether if the plant has been grown in the same pot it is being sold in.... In which case (barring the abuse the plant has undergone between the cozy green house and the lugging around untill it makes it to the warehouse rack.... ) the plants will be better off...

[Dendian]

I usually find that the Phals from Lowes here have been taken from a 2" pot with tightly packed moss and put into the larger pots with moss stuck around them. A sure way to kill off the center roots.

I now immediatly pull the plants out of the pot when I get home (even if they are blooming ) and carefully pull as much packed moss from around the roots as I can. Any dead roots get cut off with sterile scissors and sprinkled with cinnamon. I then put the plant back in the pot with a big handfull of loose moss inside the root ball area and the rest loosely placed around the root ball (enough to hold it in place but not push back when you press on it). I put a skewer in the pot to use as a gauge when to water (cool/damp on my skin = yes, wet looking skewer = no).

I have been rewarded by having my first phal re-bloom from a cut infloresence (and has been blooming now for almost two months ) and the other phals are putting out new leaves/roots and one is going to re-bloom from the cut stalk. I do mist/spray the folliage daily as our temps are going up to approx 100 F. outdoors here (gets to about 87 F. inside), all plants are dry by nightfall (sometimes have to spray twice a day)

Being a newbie myself to the addiction to orchids, I say don't throw out an orchid until all the leaves are completely brown/dead. I have 4 Onc. alliance plants in the spagh-and-bag method with no roots at all and two are definately growing new roots now.

If you want to save your phal, here is what I have learned of the sphag-and-bag method from posts here and elsewhere.... Soak your rootless plant in a mixture of tepid (not cold or hot) water, rooting hormone(see bottle instructions) and superthrive (a few drops). Take the phal out and blow water out of the top of the leaves (to prevent crown rot) and put it upside down in a zip-lock bag with some damp moss (put moss in same water and squeeze out) in the bottom of the bag. Blow air into the bag to give the plant some room and put in a warm/dark or warm/light (not direct sun) place. Check the bag occasionally to see how it is doing.

I hope this helps, it is what I have done for my "rootless wonders" (thanks Lowes!).

The other orchid in Bark is probably fine. Since my Phals like to grow roots above their leaves I think they probably drop off the lower leaves from time to time to make room for more roots

Best of luck

Dian

[E-Jag]

I couldn't get away with watering my phals (or any of the other ones for that matter) every 8 or 9 days. I soak mine really well every 2 or 3 days (bear in mind I live in Tampa). You might want to consider watering more often.

[lmartiny]

It is possible for you to salvage your Phal. In Jan. I repotted one with only one lower and one aerial root. I held it in place with a pot clip so it would not jiggle around. This is how it looked 5-6 months later.