Droopy leaves usually indicate a root problem. Either they are not getting enough water or the roots have rotted and are incapable of drawing water.
Welcome to OrchidTalk Orchid Forums
The Friendliest Orchid Community on the Internet!
OrchidTalk - "Bringing People Together to Grow Orchids Better!"
Let us help you grow your Orchids better; Join our community today.
YES! I want to register an account for free right now!
Register or Login now to remove this advertisement.
I don't know if someone could help me. I have a bunch of phals, mostly rescues from my local home improvement superstore...they don't have names, but most have them have really perked up after re-potting in phal mix, watering regularly and fertilizing weakly. I have them all on the same regimen and they were all bought at around the same time. They have all shown huge improvement, new roots, new leaves, bright upright foliage, even one with a hole in the center put out a basal keiki. But two of them have just not thrived, they are droopy and sad and have not put out new leaves or roots or anything, and the leaves are just lack lustre. What am I doing wrong? They all have the same growing conditions, right down to the pots...? Please let me know if anyone has any ideas...appreciate all your help!
These are the healthy ones...
Droopy leaves usually indicate a root problem. Either they are not getting enough water or the roots have rotted and are incapable of drawing water.
Those actually don't look nearly as bad as I expected from the thread title.
Chris is right. - the existing root system is either damaged, or just not "right" for the new environment. Consider picking up a bottle of KelpMax to accelerate the recovery.
I have been using "Superthrive" for the same amount of time for those two that I used it for the others, some of whom were in worse shape. They are all on the same watering schedule for the last few months, same light conditions, etc. Yesterday I looked at the roots on the smaller one and there is no change, no bad change no good change from when I got it, and the bigger one, I was concerned that it was getting too much water so I repotted it, with also no change to the roots, which over all did not look that bad compared to the others. The others really seem to be happy, I rescued about twelve of them.
I don't think they look too bad either. Kelpmax or a root stimulant should help.
SuperThrive and Dyna-Gro K-L-N (and many others) are root-growth stimulants based upon synthetic hormones. They can be effective, but the primary problem is that the mineral salts made from them to make the hormones water soluble are quite chemically unstable. A fresh batch, if kept dark and refrigerated, only has a life span of about a year. At warmer temperatures or if exposed to sunlight, they degrade far more rapidly. Personally, I think that is why some folks love them, while others - who got expired product - think it's a waste of money. At least Dyna-Gro puts an expiration date on the bottle (although that assumes it has been transported and stored properly since its date of manufacture...).
It was surprising to me, but natural stimulant products tend to be more chemically stable than the synthetic ones. KelpMax, for example, has been shown to be effective, with room temperature storage, for four years or more.
The primary issue with natural products, in my mind, is the variability from product to product. Variables like species of seaweed used, how it is harvested and cleaned, how the juices are extracted, and how (if) they are stabilized or diluted, all affect their efficacy.
What I find really nice about a product like KelpMax is that the rooting hormones are only a fraction of the beneficial ingredients, making it a great all-around stimulant of plant growth having multiple applications.
I will definitely check that out! I think originally I went with the suerthrive because the kelp max only came in such huge quantities on line, Another question: is it possible that these phals are virused? They aren't strictly speaking unhealthy, the laeves are turgid, just drooping, and they dont seem stressed so much as just lack lustre, and they are older than most of the others...just wondering, because the others are doing so well comparitively speaking...appreciate any help you can give me.
Like others have said, the title looked worse than the actual plant. There is an ancestor that had big leaves in these droopy Phalaenopis. You confirmed that there was no root rot, you water regularly, and you have successfully grown other plants in the same space, and culture. Perhaps, you can move these droopy plants to a different location where they can get a little more humidity and more fresh, moving air?
Viruses are not likely to cause such an appearance.
i have the same issue as you... rescue phal with limp looking leaves, conditions and roots seem good but no new growth... it's really odd...