First time growing phals outdoors

[brandonb]

Hello all-

My name is Brandon and this year is the first year I've tried growing phals outdoors. Primarily I wanted to be outside more and also I thought it would be a nice challenge to further my green thumb skills.

I live in the midwest and we've had some crazy weather patterns here this summer. I got this phal about a month ago, in bloom, as a gift. It sits outside in a constantly shaded area (never direct sunlight) with a fan always blowing air around it. It is potted in sphagnum moss and I do the standard issue watering, never after noon, etc.

It was looking sad last week after the blooms fell off a few weeks ago so I cut the spikes down. A few days ago I checked on it and saw that one of the spikes was getting a bit brown near the crown. I monitored this until today when I finally picked things apart to inspect closer.

For one thing, the brown spike just fell off under a light touch. There were some brown parts near the crown; I tried to trim those the best I could. I noticed some of the roots were a bit brown too. (pic 1)

With the recent high humidity, do you think there is a possibility of too much moisture?

The next problem I noticed was the underside of one of the leaves. Also, the top side of one leaf has little pock marks, but I received the plant like that. (pic 2)

Finally, here is a pic of how it looks currently in case anybody can spot potential problems better than I can. (pic 3)

Please advise any immediate steps I should take. Thank you.

[mehitabel]

Hi from St Louis, Brandon. I'm going to assume we've been getting much the same weather as you.

About your questions:

Your phal looks okay to me. There's a tiny new leaf I see starting, that's usually a good sign. The dings in the leaves go under the "stuff happens" category. New leaves are gorgeous and shiny, like a new pup's coat. But wait a few months and it starts to show a ding here and there. All normal.

There are a couple of points, tho:

1. Your phal seems to be in sphag-- make sure you have good drainage (ie lots of holes) in the bottom of the pot and that the sphag doesn't get compacted during rains. If it does get compacted, fluff it up as much as you can. Keep the sphag fluffy to get air in around the roots.

2. Complete shade under a tree is probably too much shade. Phals thrive and bloom better, and leaves are tougher when grown in a bit more light than that. They will burn up in minutes in full sun, but could maybe stand to be closer to the edge of the tree where they get a bit of slanting sun in the mornings til say 9AM?

The garden books that talk about "bright shade" are talking about a greenhouse with maybe 80% shade cloth on it. That's a lot brighter than under a tree. Use the shadow test-- your hand should cast a fuzzy shadow on the leaves if you hold it between the leaf and the light source. No shadow = not enough light to rebloom.

If you decide to move it closer to the edge of the tree, do it gradually gradually in at least three moves over several days to make sure you don't get it in too much sun.

3. Phals are tropical. They love humidity. Many of the species grow in nature hanging off trees over a body of water. The humidity will not be a problem, but too much rain or especially cold rains would be a problem for them.

My best advice is read up as much as you can about phal care at the Canadian Orchid Congress and at Big Leaf Orchids. Your phal will repay you for the work with extra vigor and blooms.

[orchidlover55]

Mehitabel said it all , that is very good advice. I think it looks healthy also, I was going to say something about the little brand new leaf too that is a good sign. So I will say Good Luck and to the forum. Keep us updated I would like to see pics when it blooms

Debra

[nenella]

Originally Posted by orchidlover55

Mehitabel said it all , that is very good advice. I think it looks healthy also, I was going to say something about the little brand new leaf too that is a good sign. So I will say Good Luck and to the forum. Keep us updated I would like to see pics when it blooms

Debra

Hi my 2 cents worth if you're growing outdoors:
I agree with Debra - but, also make sure you hang it downwards as they grow in nature.(so as to avoid crown rot) And also as mehitabel says really make sure you squeeze the water out the sphag as well as fluffing it up.(to avoid root rot)

[Hummer344]

Get rid of the spag and put it in a planting mix. I would bet that the roots will rot in the not to distant future.

[brandonb]

Originally Posted by mehitabel

Hi from St Louis, Brandon. I'm going to assume we've been getting much the same weather as you.

About your questions:

Your phal looks okay to me. There's a tiny new leaf I see starting, that's usually a good sign. The dings in the leaves go under the "stuff happens" category. New leaves are gorgeous and shiny, like a new pup's coat. But wait a few months and it starts to show a ding here and there. All normal.

There are a couple of points, tho:

1. Your phal seems to be in sphag-- make sure you have good drainage (ie lots of holes) in the bottom of the pot and that the sphag doesn't get compacted during rains. If it does get compacted, fluff it up as much as you can. Keep the sphag fluffy to get air in around the roots.

2. Complete shade under a tree is probably too much shade. Phals thrive and bloom better, and leaves are tougher when grown in a bit more light than that. They will burn up in minutes in full sun, but could maybe stand to be closer to the edge of the tree where they get a bit of slanting sun in the mornings til say 9AM?

The garden books that talk about "bright shade" are talking about a greenhouse with maybe 80% shade cloth on it. That's a lot brighter than under a tree. Use the shadow test-- your hand should cast a fuzzy shadow on the leaves if you hold it between the leaf and the light source. No shadow = not enough light to rebloom.

If you decide to move it closer to the edge of the tree, do it gradually gradually in at least three moves over several days to make sure you don't get it in too much sun.

3. Phals are tropical. They love humidity. Many of the species grow in nature hanging off trees over a body of water. The humidity will not be a problem, but too much rain or especially cold rains would be a problem for them.

My best advice is read up as much as you can about phal care at the Canadian Orchid Congress and at Big Leaf Orchids. Your phal will repay you for the work with extra vigor and blooms.

Wow, what a lucky coincidence. I'm from Ballwin (west county) so yes, we've been getting the same weather.

The phal is under this awning thing of my house. It gets some slanting morning sun and then is covered the rest of the day. I can see now that it is probably too much shade. I'll probably move it inside during the rain these next few days and then see if I can find a better spot for it when the weather gets nicer.

Thank you both for the responses. I just needed some guidance to make sure my first venture into the outdoors isn't going the wrong direction.

[brandonb]

Originally Posted by nenella

Hi my 2 cents worth if you're growing outdoors:
I agree with Debra - but, also make sure you hang it downwards as they grow in nature.(so as to avoid crown rot) And also as mehitabel says really make sure you squeeze the water out the sphag as well as fluffing it up.(to avoid root rot)

I have not heard of hanging it downwards before. Do you have any good suggestions for doing so?

Originally Posted by Hummer344

Get rid of the spag and put it in a planting mix. I would bet that the roots will rot in the not to distant future.

Any one you recommend? And if I use planting mix, will that affect it hanging downwards as suggested above?

[tansyflower]

I grow my phals on the verandah and they get morning light. Just be careful when you move them that they don't get burnt.

I would also recommend repotting into another mix. A small coir and perlite mix works very well for phals. Sphagnum moss often rots phals. When growing outside, you can't control the amount of rain that orchids get (unless you move them), and combining this with growing in sphag (which retains moisture), it is likely that your phal may suffer rot eventually.

Also, due to not being able to control when it rains,your phal may often have water sitting in the crown for days on end, contributing to rot- hence the advice to hang it upside down or sideways. You sometimes have to be inventive when mounting orchids to keep the mix around the roots

[mehitabel]

I should have said "Hi from right around the corner" Brandon. I'm in west county, too.

You don't have to hang it totally upside down, just tip it so water runs out of the crown instead of staying in it. That's all you're trying to achieve-- keep water from standing in the crown.

I keep mine in pots on carts and just go around with a paper napkin after a rain to wick the water out of the crown, as I haven't found a satisfactory way to tip the pots enough for them to drain completely.

[solay]

Hello and welcome. Seems you've gotten plenty of great advice so good luck . looking forward to seeing blooms from your Phal.