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Soft and yellowish leaves on a Phalaenopsis

Discussion in 'Issues, Disease and Pests' started by Dorothea, May 26, 2014.

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  1. May 26, 2014 #1
    Dorothea

    Dorothea New Member

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    Hi fellow orchid fans!
    I've been growing orchids for about a year and I should say I'm still quite a novice. My phal was blooming when I bought it and kept the flowers for 2-3 months, after which it hasn't bloomed for a year. I didn't cut the old spikes and now I can see one of them is branching out, and the other has formed some new leaves from which I believe a new plant can be grown. In addition, 3 new stems seem to be growing, one of which is already 8-9 cm long :) However, I noticed that the leaves are soft and a little wrinkled. They also seem a bit more yellowish than usual. The top ones seem to be doing a bit better but they aren't completely fine either. I was wondering if I've been underwatering the plant or there is something else going on. Help will be much appreciated :)
    Here are some pictures of my phal. orchid2.JPG orchid4.JPG orchid5.JPG orchid6.JPG
     
  2. May 26, 2014 #2
    KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Welcome to Orchids Forum. I'm sure someone here can help with this question. I'm not a Phal expert.

    How do the roots look when viewed through the clear pot? They should be plump with green growing tips visible. How often do you water?
     
  3. May 26, 2014 #3
    Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    How are you watering it and how often. Do you fertilize it? Have the leaves started to wrinkle recently, quickly, over time?
     
  4. May 26, 2014 #4
    Dorothea

    Dorothea New Member

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    Thank you! The roots look fine, just as you describe. They are green for the most part... I usually water once a week.
     
  5. May 26, 2014 #5
    Dorothea

    Dorothea New Member

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    Well, I used to soak it but lately I've been simply pouring around half a cup of water from the top. There is a layer of stones underneath the clear pot and I think it drains well. I used to fertilize the orchid in the autumn but then stopped. Today I soaked it in water and fertilizer though. Normally I water once a week.

    Unfortunately I'm not sure when exactly the leaves started to wrinkle. I think it must have been a gradual change because it took me a while to notice. About two weeks ago while I was watering it, I lifted one leaf and realized it is too soft, then I took a closer look and saw the wrinkles... So I'd guess it all started 2-3 weeks ago.
     
  6. May 26, 2014 #6
    KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Hmmm. 1/2 cup of water per week may not be enough. Watering once per week is probably about right but I suggest you take it to the sink and thoroughly drench it each watering. Soaking it today was a good thing so that the bark gets re-wetted. When the bark is totally dry it just sheds the water and lets it drain out. Make sure the decorative pot isn't holding enough water to keep the roots wet. My guess is that changing your watering routine will fix this problem.

    In the photo the top 4-5 leaves look good. Have they shown any signs of wrinkling? Phalaenopsis will shed a leaf of 2 naturally every year (from the bottom) so it is possible that is what is happening.

    Based on the general appearance of vigor and the new spikes, I would say that your light and temperatures are good. Eventually you will want to replace the bark.

    That exhausts my knowledge of Phalaenopsis ;). Others may give you better advice.
     
  7. May 26, 2014 #7
    Dorothea

    Dorothea New Member

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    Thanks Kelly! At first I was worried not to water it too much, but I might have gone in the other extreme. Should I just keep it under running water in the sink for a while?

    Yes, the top 3-4 leaves seem to be ok, the ones under are wrinkled and the two at the bottom are definitely in the worst condition. Perhaps they will fall off, but the ones above them are not completely happy as it looks...
     
  8. May 26, 2014 #8
    Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Some people put forward the idea that you should run enough water through the pot to completely fill it. Water doesn't spread in bark the way it might in soil. If you water one side with some water, it goes straight down leaving the other side completely dry. If you submerge it in water it will get the most thorough soaking and give the roots on all sides the chance to have water and humidity available. It is spring and things are starting to grow, so fertilizer through the end of summer and in to early fall is needed for the plant to put on growth.
     
  9. May 26, 2014 #9
    Dorothea

    Dorothea New Member

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    Good to know, Marni. I'll continue fertilizing and soaking then. So you think insufficient watering is the cause of the problem?
     
  10. May 26, 2014 #10
    Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Yes, it could be the problem. I don't know if they will plump back up. Orchids generally don't do anything quickly so just wait and see.
     
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  11. May 29, 2014 #11
    Seattle Steve

    Seattle Steve Member

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    I would not consider myself a phal expert, but most of mine are monsters and very vigorous growers. Just my opinion, but to optimize the vigor of the plant and get it focused on growing now in preparation for next years blooming, I would recommend cutting off those spikes. This may not be the source of the leaf senescence, but would help the plant in general. I see one of the spikes has a keiki forming on it which could indicate some stress of the mother plant. Unless you want to start some new plants or attempt to rebloom it off the old spikes, the plant would be better off with them being removed. I used to leave on the old spikes and rebloom them, but the blooms are always smaller and less well shaped. You might be able to start a new plant with the keiki start on the spike pictured on the right. The new spikes forming off the old ones are probably new florescences forming new buds.

    I have been given several rescue orchids and have been always succesful with reviving all of the phals. I wish I could say that for other orchids. Looking at the roots in the pictures above, there are several dead roots. I would go ahead and repot it as my first step past removing the spikes. I can send you the links if you want to read research articles, but in summation, Dr. Tang, who used to do research at A&M University in Texas, recommended fertilizing with 100ppm/week and using an 80/20 ratio of medium bark/sphagnum moss mix for the growing medium. Depending on your humidity and temperature of the growing environment, once a week would probably be fine. You don't need to let it soak, but I do let the medium have a good amount of water or fertilizer mix go through each plant. I do that regimen for 3 weeks and then only water the 4th week and start over. When repotting, cut off the dead or damaged roots with a sterilized clippers. Usually within the month, I see new growth and a couple of months I have lots of new roots. My phals bloom like clockwork every year. All are grown inside my home under lights. I have oscillating fans in the room running during the day.

    Best of luck.
     
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  12. Jun 30, 2014 #12
    Dorothea

    Dorothea New Member

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    Thanks a lot, Steve (a bit of a late reaction from me ;)! Very useful information. I cut some roots but somehow couldn't make myself remove the old spikes - I'm growing fond of the keiki, and the other spike has formed some new buds already, so... I guess I'll wait until the phal is done blooming and then I will remove all spikes, older and newer. Apart from that, with better watering routines and some fertilizing, seems that I've managed to solve the wrinkle problem. The leaves look much better now and they are firmer too. I will soon update with a picture (when the plant is in bloom). I will fully follow your advice with my two other phals though and let's hope for a bloom! :)
     
  13. Jul 1, 2014 #13
    Seattle Steve

    Seattle Steve Member

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    You will have to post pics in a few more months. Mine always start to spike in November, but I inherited one from a friend after it finished blooming, applied some keiki paste to create plants on the nodes, and everyone went into spikes. Not what I intended, but it has 16 blooms on it now. Hopefully you will have strong growth during the summer and buds this fall.

    Cheers.