Question
QUESTION: Hello! I recieved an orchid (phalaenopsis) a couple of weeks ago as a present. I know it comes from a home improvement store and that's about it. I am no expert, however, I believe the media it came in was rotten since I've noticed just today a) a root looking wrinkled and smushy and b)  black fuzzy spots underneath the leaves. I was thinking of repotting but the plant is blooming, I am lost and I want to save my orchid. Please help. Thank you in advance.

ANSWER: Hello Priscilla,

One method to check whether the media is still good or rotten is to smell it.  After watering it, try smelling it to see if there is a sour odor present.  If it smells sour, it probably has broken down and become rotten.  Wrinkled and smushy roots are usually the result of media gone bad and if you see a few exposed on top there are many more within the pot.  

Since it is still blooming, you have a decision to make and that is whether to wait or repot now.  If the leaves all look healthy, I'd say wait but reduce the watering by waiting until the media becomes almost dry before watering again.  If the leaves are droopy and possibly even showing signs of wrinkles, then it would be best to repot now to save it.  Before repotting, cut off the flowering stem and place it in a bud vase with water to continue to enjoy them.  

Black fuzzy spots underneath the leaves?  Are they really fuzzy or are they more like a small turtle shell?  If they are like turtle shells then it might be scales but if more fuzzy they might be fungus mites.  Scales can be physically removed with Q-tips dipped in alcohol but the better method would be to use a systemic insecticide that is recommended for orchids.  You can get rid of fungus mites by treating the plant with malathion.

Hope this helped.  If you have other questions or would like more information about the above, write back and I'll try to help with them.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your response. The media in the pot does not smell, I have more healthy looking exposed roots than smushy ones. The leaves look healthy although the ones in the bottom are getting soft :(

As for the spots, they are really fuzzy, I wiped off all of them 2 days ago with an antiseptic wipie and they are not back.. yet.

I have some pictures but I don't have an option to upload them :(

I'll repot once it stops blooming.

Thank you so much for your wonderful advice.



ANSWER: Hello again Priscilla,

You are welcome!  

That's good news that the media did not smell and that there are more healthy firm roots than smushy ones.  That the bottom leaves are beginning to become soft is a little worrisome, it could be an early indication that the media may be becoming bad.  It would be a good idea to repot once the blooms are gone but keep it warm (above 60F) after repotting.  

That the black fuzzy spots disappeared when you wiped them could mean they were fungus spots.  Fungus spores are attracted to moisture and rapidly grow under cool dark conditions such as during the night.  For this reason, it is best to do any watering or misting in the morning to allow sufficient time for the water to evaporate.  

I'm afraid this web site does not have the capability for people to post photos within questions, it would make things a lot easier if they could.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Jim. You抣l be happy to know that the fuzzy spots never came back. My phal continued to bloom and still has 2 flowers left. Curious thing though, I had a bud fall off (it wasn抰 dry nor yellow) I think it may have been some fruit ripening near the orchid, or a mild case of overwatering :S, either way one of the stalks is starting to turn brown so I decided to prune it. I want to repot the plant as soon as it stops blooming since I noticed what may be black roots at the bottom of the pot, where the drainage is. I guess my first question is: Am I going in the right direction?
Also, I was just given another beautiful Phal (sobo beach read the label) for valentines, the plant is in full bloom, a couple of the flowers show little damage (ripped petals), probably from moving the plant around too much, there is no evidence of bacteria, but I noticed a couple things that have me worrying:
-   The pot it came in is ceramic with no drainage
-   Another Ivy-like plant is potted with the orchid
-   Some of the leaves have burnt edges and one of them is starting to show 2 big yellow spots (is barely noticeable, but is there)
So I thought I should re-pot it, the question is when? Should I wait for it to stop blooming? Will this other plant hurt my phal? What are those spot?
As always I am extremely grateful for your expert advise
Take care,
Priscilla


Answer
Hello Priscilla,

Glad to hear your phal is doing well and that those fuzzy spots have not returned - yet!  Keep up the good work and also keep a wary eye open for those fuzzies to return - hopefully they don't.  

Be careful of watering the new addition in the ceramic pot without drainage holes because you don't want to end up with dead rotten roots.  Can you take a closer look to see if there is actually a plastic pot within the ceramic pot?  Many times they will put it in a ceramic pot to make it look prettier than just the plain plastic pot.  If there is, you have the choice of leaving it there or taking it out.  In the least, remove it when you water, allow excess water to drain for about 10-15 minutes then put it back in.  

Once the blooms have fallen off is a good time to repot one or both of them.  Get ready by purchasing a quart size bag of coarse grade orchid mix, 1 or 2 new pots that are the same size as the current ones.  You probably can reuse the first pot by cleaning it but not the ceramic one.  

When it is time, place several layers of newspaper on a table or the floor to make cleanup easier when you're done.  If you have not done so already, cut off the flower spike.  Place the pot on the paper and remove the phal, gently remove any mix that sticks to the roots.  Check the roots for any soft mushy dead ones, cut off any that are.  Live roots will be firm when squeezed, hopefully most of them are still alive.  Check the entire plant, especially the underside of the leaves for any unwanted critters, remove any that you find.  Place about an inch of fresh mix in the pot then lower the roots while keeping the phal in the center of the pot.  Position the lowest leaf to be just below the pot rim then fill the pot with mix.  When full, gently tap the pot to get the mix to settle and add more as needed.  That's about it, wasn't too bad was it?  (grin)  

As for the ivy in the second phal pot, when you repot the phal you can also repot the ivy in a separate pot of its own.  

Faint yellow spots on a leaf could be caused by several things, one is not much to worry about but the others could be trouble.  The good one would be a slight sunburn when it might have been exposed to direct sunlight, the burn marks won't go away but will not get larger so I'd leave the leaf alone and let it grow old and fall off on its own.  The bad possibilities would include either a fungal or bacterial infection which will slowly get larger and may look a little watery.  Let me know if it is the latter because you do not want the infection to spread.  

Are the burnt edges on the phal or the ivy?  If on the ivy I wouldn't worry to much about it right now but if it is the phal, it may or may not be a concern.  Some phals when exposed to a little more light will have a slight reddish color along the edges of the leafs, this is not unusual and not fatal, also the underside of the leafs will have a reddish tinge to them.  But, if the edges are actually burnt that could be due to the potting mix having become very salty, either from your water, too much fertilizer or both.  Then there is the possibility of the burnt looking edge being caused by an insect that has nibbled the edge, in this case the edges will be rough looking sort of like a serrated bread knife.  If it is the last one, repotting should expose the critter and you can get rid of it.  

Hope this has helped.  Sorry for this long note, hope I didn't put you to sleep with it.  Keep up the good work!  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.