New orchid seedling troubles- Novelty Phals

[Ndove]

Hi all!



I bought a few seedlings that were imported from Taiwan in May from the vendor and then I purchased them. They acclimated for a couple of weeks and I quarantined them away from my collection at home.



I repotted about a month ago into a bark/moss mix (Phalaenopsis AAA gold mix from Repot Me). They all seemed to be doing fine and yesterday I look and almost ALL of them seem to have all their lower leaves yellowing!



They were in that awful tightly packed spagnum moss when I got them so of course some of their roots didn’t look great but they all had some plump green roots left and also have started putting out some new roots and even a spike.



Are they all yellowing due to rot? There are some black spots on some of them. I’m just worried I’m going to lose all of them at once! I do just fine with adult Phals but this was my first time with imported seedlings .

 

[Ndove]

Sorry I forgot to add my culture routine.

Water:
I water every 5-6 days because my grow area has a big fan in it for good circulation and so the bark mix dries out very fast. Sometimes I water more often than that if they seem to get really dry but about every 5 days is average.

I use tap water with 1/4 tsp rays epiphyte fertilizer and once a month I put in Kelpac.

Growing area is in my home
East window that gets full sun from about 9am to noon. I have a small supplemental grow light on one side for my higher light cattleyas and stuff. Phals are on the other side away from the grow light. Humidity is supplied with a humidifier set at 50-60%. Temp range is 68 at night - up to 78-80 during the day in the summer.

 

[Paphman910]

When the Phals are producing new roots along the stem and the leaves below the roots tend to yellow off as it ages. There is nothing to be worried about unless the new leaves are yellowing and dropping off. One of our local Phal grower generally remove the old leaves (still green) when he sees new roots form above the leaves. He grows it ins Promix HP with large perlite.

 

[Ndove]

When the Phals are producing new roots along the stem and the leaves below the roots tend to yellow off as it ages. There is nothing to be worried about unless the new leaves are yellowing and dropping off. One of our local Phal grower generally remove the old leaves (still green) when he sees new roots form above the leaves. He grows it ins Promix HP with large perlite.

Thanks for replying! So you think its more of just them adjusting to a new home and repot situation? Since they're growing new roots they will adapt?

 

[Paphman910]

Thanks for replying! So you think its more of just them adjusting to a new home and repot situation? Since they're growing new roots they will adapt?

They are adjusting to your new condition. My Phal bellina from Taiwan last year put out a leaf that was way smaller ( 3 inches long) than the older leaves during the winter and now the new leaf is bigger than the old leaf so it does take time to adjust to your condition. The plant was probably bare rooted due to import regulations.

 

[Ndove]

They are adjusting to your new condition. My Phal bellina from Taiwan last year put out a leaf that was way smaller ( 3 inches long) than the older leaves during the winter and now the new leaf is bigger than the old leaf so it does take time to adjust to your condition. The plant was probably bare rooted due to import regulations.

Okay, whew! Thanks a lot! I thought I was about to be out a lot of money- I was about to start kicking myself.

 

[richgarrison]

Might want to consider gently covering the new root tips with your potting mix, since ultimately you’d want those roots seeking moisture in the pot…

And just to blow your mind, many folks grow in that “awful tightly packed sphagnum moss’ as a matter of course. But of course they would likely use a good quality sphagnum, and only pack ‘just tightly enough’ to allow for air and yet not stay too soggy. As your watering routine suggests, most phal hybrids like water. And all like air. So the perfect combination of their needs and your culture gets you the best results. We all start with formulas. Adjusting based on observation becomes your key to success.

 

[Ndove]

Might want to consider gently covering the new root tips with your potting mix, since ultimately you’d want those roots seeking moisture in the pot…

And just to blow your mind, many folks grow in that “awful tightly packed sphagnum moss’ as a matter of course. But of course they would likely use a good quality sphagnum, and only pack ‘just tightly enough’ to allow for air and yet not stay too soggy. As your watering routine suggests, most phal hybrids like water. And all like air. So the perfect combination of their needs and your culture gets you the best results. We all start with formulas. Adjusting based on observation becomes your key to success.

Sorry I don’t mean to insult anyone by saying that about moss. What I mean is it’s very old broken down moss that these seedlings have been in a very long time.

 

[richgarrison]

Sorry I don’t mean to insult anyone by saying that about moss. What I mean is it’s very old broken down moss that these seedlings have been in a very long time.

Ya. I was trying to respond without leading you that way. I don’t ‘ think moss growers would have been insulted. It more sounded like you might not know folks grow in that stuff as a matter of course. Just trying to help .