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My phal is wilting, need help please!

10 years ago

Hello Orchid friends!

I just got 2 beautiful phals on Saturday, they are in full bloom and still have a lot of buds on but I noticed one of the phal I just got them the flowers are wilting. I checked the pot and found there are a lot of dead roots inside the plastic pot but the root on top of the moss is very strong and healthy. Moss inside the pot is moist so it shouldn't be thirsty. What can I do to bring life back in this orchid plant? It's is quite big and leaves are still very firm but the spray and flowers are not. Should I take it out and clean out the rotten roots and repot it?Can I save it? and how. Please help!! Thank you!

Tanie

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Comments (6)

jane__ny
10 years ago
Yes, repotting is probably a good idea unless you can refrain from watering too much. Your plant does not want to be wet, it will rot its roots. Make sure the pot drains well and don't water again until its almost dry.

There is a lot of info on the internet regarding the care for your plant. Just Google Phalaenopsis and start reading.

Jane
tanie51
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you Jane! I have been reading too. Some said don't repot when it's still blooming. What I did was I cut out some holes and pulled a bit of rotten roots out. Not much but I tried my best.

Tanie
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Danielle Rose
10 years ago
If you don't want to disturb it too much, you can take it out of the plastic and pull off some of the more tightly packed moss from inside the root area. I just got a tiny little phal from Ikea, and though I'm not going to repot it until the flowers are gone, I knew there was WAY too much sphagnum moss in that tiny little pot. I yanked out half of the moss, leaving the roots some room to breathe. Hopefully it helps!
tanie51
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you Danielle. Mine are quite big and tall and I am a bit afraid. I'll be very careful not to disturb it too much. But I'll do what Jane and you suggested.I also realized there are 2 wilting (dead) flowers. The rest seem to be doing okay. I asked my orchid lady friend she said sometime they react to strange environment and it's probably in shock. She explained that because the had been moving from green house to truck or whatever to go to the store. And sitting on the shelves waiting for a home and then come to a new home. They stressed out. Whatever reason it is. I hope I am providing it (them) a loving and caring home so that they will live a long and prosperous life with ton of flowers for me.

Tanie
jane__ny
10 years ago
Yes, Tannie you could lose all the flowers if you disrupt the roots at this point. I thought all the flowers were wilting.

What are your growing conditions? What zone do you live?

If the potting mix is so wet, you need to what Danielle recommended. Otherwise the roots will die, they need air as orchids grow on trees and not in pots.

Please read the basic culture of these plants so you won't run into problems.

Good luck,

Jane
tanie51
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi Jane, I did that. Cut holes and pulled out as gentle as I could of those rotten roots and some of the moss. Because of the size of the orchid plant I did as gentle as I could. We'll see how the rest of the flowers and the plant go. I'll up date within a couple of weeks. Jane, I don't know what exact zone I'm living in, I know inside my house I keep the tempt. about between 65F - 68F in winter. and around 75F - 80F in summer. These orchids are in door and the area of this city is about zone 3 outdoor in winter.

Thank you,

Tanie

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