Phal Roots???

[zrhanson]

So I got this phal, and it really hasn't been looking too well as of late... So I thought maybe it'd like to be repotted, and well I have no idea what to make of htese roots, as I'm just starting out. They just seem s so stringy and brown... but maybe you can help me? Also, in the bottom of the pot seemed to be dirt, under neath of the moss. I'm very new and would appreciate any help possible!

[opaline]

Its good old fashioned root rot whereby the media in the pot has lacked air circulation and has become to waterlogged, so therefore roots have rotted. Roots need air and light.Remove them and open up the media with chunks of charcoal or stryo/ polysterene chunks or large bark chunks.. Allow to dry betw waterings and cut some half cm wide slats in side of pot to aid airflow. This is the most common prob with orchids and phals are highly susceptable to this issue. Your plant does look reasonably hydrated and healthy. Take good care of the new roots nearest the crown/plant. Grey silver means some water please. Green means no more till i go back to silver. Brown is rottten. You will notice wirey type stringy roots under the brown decomp, Avoid moss it waterlogs easy. The bark media commonly used, deteriroates easily when wet.

[zrhanson]

Oh fantastic. :-/ All I have is some moss to put it in... so maybe I can just use that until I can manage to get my hands on something else?

[Raver]

Moss works if you use a pot that has lots of hole on the bottom and the side, if you use moss make sure its kind of loose in the pot and it dries out within 3 days. Make sure you remove all the dead brown/mushy roots and keep it in a well ventilated area.

[opaline]

Yes ok, just use caution with the moss when watering. Just lay plant on top, dont bury the roots and stake to support plant.. Might get away with just spraying daily or twice daily keeping moss moist not wet. Try to angle phal slightly downward if you can so the crown (origin of new leaf growth) collects no water. Crown rot is as common as root rot and the forum is full of cases like this. Every orchid grower no matter how experienced succumbs to this rot factor at times.

[espranch]

Somewhere here on Orchid Talk, there is a site on re-potting orchids. Please HELP point the way, Bruce! Thanks, Betty

[Jef09071984]

You can use a transparent pot for your Phal. by this you can check the roots progress.
by the looks of the roots, the brown roots below are rotted hence need to be cut and put fungicide to prevent fungal diseases, your media should be coarse or medium size so that airflow is not restricted.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Somewhere here on Orchid Talk, there is a site on re-potting orchids. Please HELP point the way, Bruce! Thanks, Betty

There are a few articles in the Orchid Article Library and I have a page on the RVO Orchid Care Site as well (with a video)

cheers,
BD