Napa Valley Orchid Society
Promoting Orchid education and culture in Napa since 1955
An affiliated AOS society
Meets every 4th Friday of the monthP.O. Box 2152, Napa CA 94558

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March 29-30, 2008

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This Phaleanopsis has been in poor condition for quite awhileA failed phalaenopsis
One thing about orchids in general and phalaenopsis in particular is their ability to act like a duck. Above the pot all seems smooth and gliding along just fine. Below, the plant is paddling frantically.

When phal leaves don't look healthy, the whole plant is in serious trouble. This plant is in that category. It is a plant that a friend tried to grow but after a year gave up on.

In this picture, the plant has been 'in recovery' for about 6 weeks. It is starting to come back to life. It has spent that time lying unpotted on a humidity tray, being watered and fed from a spray bottle daily, sometimes twice a day. It could be potted or mounted now, but I plan to wait another 3 months to give it more root growth and for the new leaf to develop.

Move your mouse pointer over different parts of the plant for more details on its condition.



Phaleanopsis making a strong comeback mounted in a boxThree month update: The two oldest leaves have been removed and the plant has been mounted in a 4 inch box and hung sideways in the greenhouse.

    The new leaf that was just starting in the picture above has grown substantually and the two leaves that were healty two months ago remain healthy. There has been only a small amount of root growth but no additional root loss.

    Temperatures are ranging from 55 degrees to 75 degrees. Water is once a day at 9:00 am for one minute of heavy rain. Light level runs from 1000 to just under 2000 foot candles, generally on the low side as we come into the rainy season. Humidity is 45 to 65 percent.

    The plant is probably still a year or two from blooming as it builds up a root system strong enough to support flowering. In fact, if the plant tries to bloom in the next few months, I will take the spike off the plant.

The fourth oldest leaf The third oldest leaf The newest leaf The second oldest leaf The oldest leaf Older roots all dead
This is the fourth leaf. It is smaller than the oldest leaf, but much larger than the third oldest leaf. The plant has recovered somewhat from the earlier shock.
This is the third leaf. It was probably growing when the plant was bought. Each leaf should be at least as large as the next older leaf, usually larger. This can happen because of adapting to a new environment, so is not necessarily something to be TOO concerned about. However in this case, the leaf is substantially smaller than the previous leaf, a VERY bad sign.
This is the newest leaf. It started growing soon after it went into the hospital. It is a definite sign of recovery.
The second leaf was fully developed when the plant was brought home. At some time it developed a bacterial infection and lost most of the leaf. It will be removed before eventual re-poting, but for now it needs all the leaf area it can get.
The oldest leaf is showing some wrinkling and signs of age. Phals will typically keep 3 to 5 leaves and lose the oldest, so this is in itself no cause for alarm. The white flakes are calcium, the result of misting and could be easily washed off with lemon juice before potting, but this leaf will be removed. Usually, the leaves of a phalaenopsis should NOT be misted.
Except for a small amount of root at the top of the pot, all the roots were hollow and rotted from over watering. The roots had been dead a long time. This might have happened at the same time as the third leaf was developing. New green tipped roots have started to develop and the older roots have also retipped.