I wouldn't go that far. I would just water the plant when it needs it until you "season" the mixture.

Schultz orchid mix needs to be soaked a couple of days before using it. Otherwise, it will be very dry (which can be a good thing directly after repotting and damaging the root structure). If you don't soak it, it is almost impossible to wet thoroughly.

Your phal would do better indoors in a humid place until it gets its feet under it again.

Without knowing your experience level or growing conditions, it makes it difficult. But it sounds like you may have root rot from overwatering, yes, overwatering.

Bark mix is a fast draining medium. Orchids are not the same as house plants in soil. They cannot sit in water or have constant soggy/ wet medium. Your plant is dessicating at the leaves possibly due to a lack of roots and the inability to hydrate itself through the root system. With Orchids, light is usually the answer for an ailing plant, not watering more.

If you are a soil gardener, orchids are almost the opposite in every respect. Generally speaking, many Orchids cling to trees and have a quick pass by of water when it rains or glean atmospheric humidity. They really don't need much in the way of water compared to a dirt plant.

Schultz's bark mix is fine for a phal. Misting IMO can actually do more damage than good. Soaking has probably added to the issue you are experiencing.

I usually don't recommend de-potting, but I suspect this may be necessary.

If you could provide us with more details or a photo it would help us help you. There are ways to recover the plant if ideed your plant is sans roots.

Clara

And to what Clint and Clara said, I would add that you have to remember that orchid leaves, unlike your average houseplant, will not plump right back up. Once they are really wrinkled and wilted, they will pretty much stay that way until the new leaves come in, which you would hope are nice and firm.

Julie

claritamaria, you might be right about there being too much water. The roots are definitely rotting. Since the bark became so dry from the start (it was soaked it for a day before potting) and the plant so quickly became limp, I just assumed it was underwatered.

The FAQ mentions cleaning the rot from the roots and administering cinnamon to cut ends -- as an antiseptic? A few still appear alright, but the bulk are a mess. Is it correct to trim the rotted segments completely?

I'm happy to hear that bark does work well. It's actually a very attractive mix, and the idea of imitating native growing methods is appealing. Assuming the plant is doing well, should loose mediums be watered with more frequency than, say, moss? I had previously been watering every week to week and a half.

My soil was showing? :)
Yes, I am primarily an organic vegetable and herb gardener, and a novice with orchids. This phal is my first real effort, and I've had it for about a year and a half. I've made many adjustments based on information found here and, the present situation notwithstanding, it was growing beautifully. If it can be recovered, I'm hoping to find and switch to an organic food.

I wonder if this does not happen more often than we know? A great many growers immediately unpot their purchases and repot them into the least water retentive mixes they can get their hands on. I always cringe when I read this but rarely do we ever get the followup. Clara is exactly right. More light is always the answer when a plant does not appear to be utilizing its moisture well enough. Overwatering is 'always' a symptom of too little light, not too water retentive a medium. Bits of sponge, sponge rubber, paper towel, can indeed be mixed into the Schultz mix to make it more water retentive. I would start with about 1/3 by volume but you have to figure that going to a mix like the Schultz, ammended or not, and in the middle of summer will see you watering more often?!

H

Sphagnum moss holds much more water (and fertilizer) than bark. Yes, with bark you will have to water more often. But you can have a happy medium if you add some of the moss to the bark. Recently in an article in the AOS magazine, a phalaenopsis grower recommended a mix of one third moss to two thirds bark. You might consider trying a similar mixture.

And bark can be deceiving. It will look bone dry on top, and be wet at the core. You might try the skewer method of watering. Get a shiskabob skewer, trim it down, and keep it in the medium. When you think the medium needs water, take out the skewer and touch it to your lip or the back of your hand, and if it's wet, don't water. If it's dry or nearly dry, water.

Orchids are sort of the opposite of vegetables and herbs in that their roots are different as they like air, therefore the bark which allows water to run through it. It will take a litte getting used to, but you'll get the hang of it.

And Howard is the light guru, so listen to everything he says.

Personally I have never had problems with plants in sphagnum. I find it an excellent medium, which seems to have natural fungicide.

thorndncr
Yes it shows ;-). Hee Hee. You are in the right place for advise. I personally use peroxide. I have read that cinamon can retard growth. I would do the "spag and bag" if you are able. I have had great success with this method and phals. Takes many months but it will sping back and grow roots! It also helps to look on the internet for pics of the orchid in the wild. Kind of gives you a picture of what they are used to.

There are many good books to read on orchids. Ortho's book and Taylor's. But I caution you, you'll leave dirt gardening behind and become an orchid addict! Let us know how it goes

Clara

I sometimes think bark should be illegal unless you prove you have a greenhouse. I hate it, for all the reasons mentioned above. I think sphag. is much better, in general.

Peroxide, not cinn., and yes, cut off all the rotted ones.

Phals are always said to be the easy 'beginner' orchid. I think that's rubbish. I think they're a pain. Roots are always shriveling or rotting or both. Potting media is always iffy at best since they really want to grow in trees. And they're always trying to jump out of their pots so they can grow upside down as is their nature.

I think you should get a Cattleya or a Dendrobium, pot it in lava rock in a clay pot, give it good light and air flow and water every day or two...or three, and you'll have lots better success than with any finicky Phal. But that's just my opinion.
-MB

Thanks to everyone for your responses!

I will definitely take care of those rotted roots. It seems like I'm stuck with the bark for the time being, but it might do better in a more humid room. Using a skewer to check for moisture is clever; I may adopt that from now on.

There are too many plants in here already -- well, that depends upon whom you choose to ask. But if the addiction comes on, it's nice to know there is so much willing advice.

mrbreeze, I agree with you about phals. Other than not needing too much light, I think they're finicky and fussy, and unless you have everything just right, they don't grow or bloom well. Too much can go wrong with them.

really? i have found phals super easy. i grow indoors and under lights, with about 50% humidity, i've grown phals in s/h and sphag, and they have been fine
i used to over water when they were in bark and it rotted all their roots, but ever since i kept an eye on how much i watered, they have been fine--roots are nice and fat, right now they are all in active root growing
i've rebloomed them with no problem

it's true they keep on wanting to climb out and their roots stick out all over, it is funny
"haha, stupid phal, you're in a pot and you don't know it"

Phals can be easy to grow, but they were not easy for me to grow in either bark or sphag. Bark does not retain moisture effectively enough to suit them. Sphag can hold too much water for too long, especially when it becomes compacted in the pot and air can not move through it.

The most foolproof and beneficial potting method I have found for Phals is to use fine to medium-grade coconut husk chips in an ordinary clay pot or orchid pot, either glazed or unglazed with openings cut in it. A plain plastic or glazed pot is okay, but not as good for maintaining an ideal air-moisture balance as one that can breathe. In any case, it seems that the best shape for a Phal pot is more or less the shape of an African violet pot. Squatty rather than tall in relation to width, and just large enough so that the roots fit comfortably in it.

CHC retains water well, but it also holds air. It provides an excellent environment for Phal roots, which need air, but do not want to dry out between waterings. If a Phal has lost some of its roots, either from smothering or dehydration, it can quickly grow new ones after being potted in CHC.

The specific frequency of watering a Phal in this medium would depend on the light, temperature, relative humidity, and air movement where the orchid is kept. Under ordinary indoor conditions with fluorescent light, I water mine every 5 to 7 days, usually with an organic fertilizer each time.