# Why can't I grow Phal?



## baodai (Sep 21, 2010)

I can't grow paph and dendro and do really well with it. As matter of fact, my greenhouses're going offset every 3-4 years. But, when It come to phal, I can't keep one alive (Well, I lie maybe 2) for more than 2 yrs. Either, I grow them with my paph or dendro, it doesn't make any diff .... Called me whatever you want to, but I give up.
BD


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## NYEric (Sep 21, 2010)

Phals need warmth and *shaded* light!


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## Hera (Sep 21, 2010)

You might have success with mounted plants. Whats your trouble? Is it rotting roots, too dry, no blooms???? Let us know so we know what advice to give.


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## goldenrose (Sep 21, 2010)

I couldn't grow phals either, they died a slow death with me, never rebloomed & became mealy bug magnets.
Went to clay pots, some are in loosely packed sphagnum, a couple are course bark. I was under the impression, due to their thick succulent leaves & roots they should dry out in between waterings. I've switched to keeping them more on the evenly moist side & they've done great! I do have them shaded but consider my GH to be intermediate temps in the winter, so far so good!


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## baodai (Sep 22, 2010)

Hera said:


> You might have success with mounted plants. Whats your trouble? Is it rotting roots, too dry, no blooms???? Let us know so we know what advice to give.


Slow death, that is what it is. No rotting roots, but bottom leave drops off one at a time. At the end, new offset will shoot out, when the offset large enough, the bottom leave dropps off again. I was thinking it has somthing to do with temperature rappidly increase/decrease causing the leave drop. If that is the case, then how come it doesn't happen to paph/dendro/vanda etc. I thought paph is more sensity than phal !!! I will try to grow it potless, I will hang them like vanda 
Thanks,
BD


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## goldenrose (Sep 22, 2010)

BD - you're not telling us how you've been attempting to grow it - potting media, water, fertilizer, etc.


baodai said:


> Slow death, that is what it is. No rotting roots, but bottom leave drops off one at a time. At the end, new offset will shoot out, when the offset large enough, the bottom leave dropps off again. Thanks,
> BD


_yellowing? wrinkling? That's what mine were doing, I attribute to underwatering. 
Did you check for bugs?_
"I was thinking it has somthing to do with temperature rappidly increase/decrease causing the leave drop."
_With those thick succulent leaves, they should handle temp ranges unless they're in a drafty area._
"If that is the case, then how come it doesn't happen to paph/dendro/vanda etc. I thought paph is more sensity than phal !!!"
_Phals are not paph/dendro/vanda. Paphs are pretty tough but there's no way I'd begin to compare to dends or vandas. If you're growing them like that then you're not giving your paphs enough credit!_
"I will try to grow it potless, I will hang them like vanda"
_sounds good to me, certainly can't overwater!_


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## NYEric (Sep 22, 2010)

Haha! After you clean the plants try s/h.


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## Hera (Sep 22, 2010)

The bottom leaf dropping off from root growth is normal.


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## Clark (Sep 22, 2010)

Lowes by me has a pile of Phals on the dicount rack.
Some $2, some $4. I'll be going by there Thurs. and Friday.
Let me know if you want some cheap guinea pigs. 
The leaves are more than fine, but the flowers are spent. I bought these last year, and gave away as they bloomed.
They are making room for the X-mas trees.


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## baodai (Sep 22, 2010)

Hera said:


> The bottom leaf dropping off from root growth is normal.



It is not normal when there is no leave left


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## baodai (Sep 22, 2010)

Clark said:


> Lowes by me has a pile of Phals on the dicount rack.
> Some $2, some $4. I'll be going by there Thurs. and Friday.
> Let me know if you want some cheap guinea pigs.
> The leaves are more than fine, but the flowers are spent. I bought these last year, and gave away as they bloomed.
> They are making room for the X-mas trees.


I will try that 75% off from Lowes, This is the last chance for phal, I will get about 5 so I can try diff method
BD


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## KyushuCalanthe (Sep 22, 2010)

baodai said:


> It is not normal when there is no leave left



Can't argue with that logic! :rollhappy:

I've seen them grown on bare concrete in hot and humid climates with NO substrate at all. Maybe another possibility...


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## NYEric (Sep 23, 2010)

I'll take a look but how much water is going to the roots?


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## Pete (Sep 24, 2010)

BD your plants will NOT respond favorably to being grown without media like vandaceous.. use loosly packed sphagnum moss, keep evenly moist and on the bright side of dark


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## baodai (Sep 24, 2010)

NYEric said:


> I'll take a look but how much water is going to the roots?



Nothing wrong with roots system, It has alot of roots, It climbs out the pot, my problem is the leave system, It can't stay on.... after it dropped all leaf, then it will re grow, it seems have a clock on the plant, when it get to certain age, leave has to go ....why, why, why ..... ... therefore, I can't keep my plant mature enough to bloom. I will take some pics later on. It is more clear that way
Thanks,
BD


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## SlipperFan (Sep 24, 2010)

BD, are the leaves just falling off, or rotting off? What do the leaves look like when they drop? Are they dry or mushy where the leaf joins the plant stem?


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## Ricky (Sep 25, 2010)

Baodai, take a look here to see how easy it can be:
http://www.forum.orchideen-forum.de...-stetiger-Kultur-von-Phalaenopsis-Naturformen


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## cnycharles (Sep 25, 2010)

like dot says, there may be something else causing leaf drop, especially if your roots are great; you could have some kind of disease that is hanging around, and when conditions get to be the worst point, it attacks with a vengeance. I've had a few phals that had leaf loss because I was watering with a mist wand (mounted plants) and they would get red and die back. I have fans, but there must be something that was attacking the top of the plant. one thing is that if you are getting all your phals from box stores, they are being sold from an environment where you have tons of plants from all different places and that's sort of like 'going to the hospital' for a human; there are lots of chances to get all sorts of bugs and diseases that you wouldn't normally be exposed to


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## likespaphs (Sep 25, 2010)

do the leaves look fine and undamaged when the fall off or are they speckled?


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## huiray (Oct 8, 2010)

http://forum.theorchidsource.com/ub...ommercial_Phalaenopsis_in_the.html#Post256211


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Oct 9, 2010)

I was going to post the same link. As I said on that thread, phals were my easiest orchid as a beginner. They always bloomed, and bloomed well. Now I'm down to very few plants, but they don't bloom at all. Its not the heat...my old apartment was drafty with a landlord cheap on heat, so they were cooler in winter then than now, but they bloomed then, not now. I think its that they are all (my plants, I'm speaking of..) virused. And since most phals on the mass market are from Taiwan, they are virtually all virused.


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## e-spice (Oct 10, 2010)

goldenrose said:


> I couldn't grow phals either, they died a slow death with me, never rebloomed & became mealy bug magnets.
> Went to clay pots, some are in loosely packed sphagnum, a couple are course bark. I was under the impression, due to their thick succulent leaves & roots they should dry out in between waterings. I've switched to keeping them more on the evenly moist side & they've done great! I do have them shaded but consider my GH to be intermediate temps in the winter, so far so good!



Couldn't agree with that assessment more. I have found they do better when grown a little drier too.

e-spice


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## Rick (Oct 11, 2010)

Maybe making too many generalizations???

All species and hybrids of phal??? There are high and lowland species of Vanda and Phal that have very different temp regimes. But in general the Vandas like the high light at the tops of trees, while the phals are near the ground in the shade.

The big temp fluctuations may be an issue. MOST of my slippers dendros and vandas can handle much bigger fluctuations and low end temps than any of my phals.

Winter temps getting down in the 50's (F) would be a concern for some of the more successful phal growers in my area. Some hate to get below 70 in the winter, and then can't understand why none of there other orchids aren't blooming while there phals are going nuts.

I have many phals in my collection and do have winter temps as low as high 50's on scattered nights. Most are mounted, the few potted ones are in sphagnum only. They all get fed the same stuff as everyone else in the collection, so I don't think there are any special nutrient requirements that would kill your phals selectively out of your collection.

Pretty weird BD!


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