What's wrong with my phal keikis
Elishah Flores (Lubbock, Texas zone 7b)
8 years ago
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jane__ny
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Is there something wrong with my phal's roots?
Comments (1)Hey there, orchid roots you have showing here on top look healthy. I don't worry when those roots turn slightly brown (as long as they are still firm you are ok). Be careful with your watering habits using that much moss as over watering will rot your roots towards the bottom of your pot. Water only when that moss is "crunchy." Since you have a clear plastic pot, utilize the benefits and wait until the roots turn white when viewing from the side. If the roots have green in them still, wait another day or two and check again. Leaves looks firm, green and upright which is a good sign. Just don't over water moving forward and you'll be in good shape. If you really feel motivated, you can unpot, inspect the roots and pot in more of a bark mix if you are one those people that like to water your plants. Post pics of more of the roots for a better idea of the plant's vitality. Good luck!...See MoreHoly Smokes, cut phal spike in water = keiki
Comments (27)Hi! ^ ^ I think it could be of use to someone if I type out my experience. Perhaps a collection of experiences will lead to some form of conclusion of the hypothesis about lighting etc. It began when one of my two orchids had a nasty little pussy cat tip over it's pot. The orchid's spike severed completely off. Since my orchids both bloom at the same time I cut the spike off the other orchid. Of both the spikes, the yellow had 2 blooms (1 bud spike was 6 inches long). The purple had 8 buds (one bloom spike was 10 inches long) which is the one the cat had tipped over. I will also note that I put the purple stem immediately into water since I had heard the plant crash. I have had both spikes into a clear glass vase (about 1-1.5 cup of water) in a pitch black game room except light from the teli and monitors. To be more specific the vase is in the shadow of the "light". The temp is always around 78 degrees fahrenheit. I enjoyed the blooms for a couple of weeks and the large bloomed ones finally started to look fatigued so I pinched those off (about 4-5). The rest dropped off by themselves. I totally forgot about these stems/spikes. Here is where it gets interesting, about 2-3 month later I was dusting and cleaning up the "mess" at the sink when I noticed the yellow spike was still green at the end, the purple was brown so I cut it under water to a healthy green looking point. I had decided regardless of the various postings on the intraweb saying that a spike couldn't grow roots I would still let these two try. It now has been 5 months, the yellow has a small root growing at the end, the purple is still green. They are in the pitch black room, I change the water sporadically from every 4 days to 3 weeks with tepid from faucet. Basically when I remember the poor babies but more so at the beginning than now (which changes now I see a little root). I will also mention I was using the cities icky chlorinated fluoride injected tap water, I will now change to bottled water and watch the results....See MoreDying Phals, what did I do wrong?
Comments (38)For me, growing Phals was definitely NOT a no-brainer! Everyone keeps saying how easy they are, but I've had a heck of a time getting any to stay alive and actually grow! For my environment, bark works the best. I use a combination of natural window light and a bit of supplemental lighting from shop light fixtures. I water when the bark mix is nearly dry, and with the low humidity of winter, I mist them a couple of times daily. I've resigned myself to the fact that I don't have the best conditions for orchid growing, and I've decided not to baby any of them. Funny thing is... the few Phals I have are responding and actually growing! One has a spike growing... Phal equestris, I believe. What made the difference for me, I think, was the addition of the lighting fixtures. That, and simply not hovering, which leads to over-watering for me. Everyone has slightly different conditions to contend with, and I think you just have to find that happy medium of cultural advice. Good luck with your Phals!...See MoreAdvice for new Phal with Keiki
Comments (5)I've actually been doing a lot of research, but I've read a lot of conflicting advice/anecdotes. i think I'm just going to give it a shot and do to optimize conditions. We're in a very temperate climate, coldest it gets outside in the winter is in the 30Fs. The bathroom ranges from like 60-70F throughout the year. It probably dropped down into the 50Fs at night last winter, but we have since bought a couple space heaters that should keep the temperature higher when it gets that cold. I can also move it to a warmer area if we have a cold snap? It will never reach 90F in the summer though. The room has a large west facing frosted window but due to the surrounding buildings no direct sunlight shines through. Maybe it would benefit from being moved to a sunnier spot during the summer when it's warm? Lots of air circulation if the window is open, and like I said we have the benefit of being next to the ocean and the bathroom also gets super steamy when everyone showers twice a day. Not sure exactly what the relative humidity is though. Any thoughts on cutting the roots?...See MoreElishah Flores (Lubbock, Texas zone 7b)
8 years agoBill
8 years agoElishah Flores (Lubbock, Texas zone 7b)
8 years agoBill
8 years agoElishah Flores (Lubbock, Texas zone 7b)
8 years agoBill
8 years agocadfaelrose
8 years ago
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