phal with no more roots

[Liz]

I have had good results saving 3+ rootless (and pricey meristem) phals with a modified sphag & bag. Because I think the bag can make it too moist and encourage mold and rot, instead of using the bag, I misted the leaves several times a day with a drop of SuperThrive in a water bottle, and the top of the moss about once a day. Before that, I sprayed the stump with physan and dusted it with rooting hormone. Then, using moss soaked in a Superthrive mixture and then squeezed out like a sponge, I potted the stumpy plant in loosely packed moss and kept it in a lower light for a week or so. I used a little fertilizer, too, just a few pebbles of time released Dynamite at first. It took a while, but they've all come back from being rootless or having only one sickly root. I don't know how important the Superthrive is, but it claims to help shock and promote root growth, and since my experiment was successful, I can't say it didn't help, either.
Liz

[hohcs]

Guess what?! the phal with no root is sprouting a new leaf!!! and it still has no roots - only little stubs which i cannot tell if they are growing because the tips are not green or red or look anything baby new - and the lower leaves are still creased and yellow! so strange. maybe this is a strange kind of species. there is a tag but i cannot figure out the handwriting. it looks like a species phal. yellow with i think red lines, not sure the last time it bloomed was last summer.

strange, right? i hope it knows what it is doing. i am still keeping it in the bag. i just try to keep it upright with a prop with its rootless stem buried in diatomite, in an s/h setup.

any suggestions welcome.

thanks

[Khayael]

I read this a lot: "trying to save them in s/h. " , "...lying on top of some moist diatomite mix i have in a s/h setp." what does it mean?

[Brutal_Dreamer]

s/h = semi hydro or semi hydroponics.

cheers,
BD

[Jef09071984]

Maybe you could try to visit a plant store and ask if they have a rooting hormone or something to help the plant sprout new roots.

[mal.d]

Hi Khayael
I too have a phal with no roots. The first time I saw the roots, they were all soft and bad except for one which was about an inch. I cut all the bad roots and repotted it in dry bark, watered it and left it in a tray of gravel and water and enclosed the whole thing in a plastic bag.
recently I noticed some fungi on the bamboo stick. The last root also went soft.
I am going to try what you have done.
I wanted to ask you what type of light did you put your phailing phal in?
In South Africa, we are approaching winter (in June) , I get a lot more sun shine in my house from the north facing windows, I am afraid it might be too much light. I do have lace curtains though, so its not direct.

I will upload pics soon...

[Khayael]

Hi mal.d sorry It took me too long to reply! I didn't use any kind of artificial lighting. My window faces south, it's the area that get the most light in the house, but I make sure direct sunlight doesn't touch my orchids by adjusting the window blinds.

[Ladysabertooth]

I have one with no roots and have been keeping it bagged and suspended over damp moss and a humidity tray with a heat pad under it. It has not grown any new roots but its actually growing a new leaf! I guess its happy? Just wondering if it will grow roots or not

[Khayael]

Sorry! lol
Some times one of them start growing first. Either way, there's activity and that's a good sign. Just keep waiting!
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