From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

A warning...

I've been growing phalaenopsis for many years in a north-facing
bathroom. They've always done well in the often damp atmosphere and
grown loads of aerial roots. These are all over the tiled windowsill and
PVC of the double-glazed windows, and are fine. However, I hadn't
noticed that at the end of the sill one plant's roots had grown along
the painted wall. I've just tried to remove these roots and found
they're stuck fast - at least as well as ivy roots stick. I finally got
them off, but they'd damaged the paint and some of the root was left
stuck to the wall.

I couldn't find any mention of this on the internet, other than that the plant's roots help it stay on the trees that it grows on naturally. I
don't know how it sticks to the paint as the aerial roots are covered
with velamen, a spongy material which helps the roots absorb water from
the air. It's completely different from ivy roots as they actually
penetrate the substrate they are resting on. Perhaps they release a sort
of adhesive.
--
Jeff

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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening


I only wish my phalaenopsis were as happy and energetic
as yours :-) They make some new air roots but nothing
on a scale of travelling around to foreign parts, so zero
experience of ever sticking to anything.

At the moment mine all live on the same table in a north
window, where they've happily flowered for years, but
recently summat is wrong. John gave me a new one in
summer and I think it might have brought in some phal
disease, rather like colonialists taking measles to virgin
populations that had no immunity.

They've all got the lurgy. New flower spikes go brown and
bus fail, and there's a stickiness that was never there
before.

Janet
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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

On 12/11/2025 10:52, Janet wrote:

I only wish my phalaenopsis were as happy and energetic
as yours :-) They make some new air roots but nothing
on a scale of travelling around to foreign parts, so zero
experience of ever sticking to anything.

At the moment mine all live on the same table in a north
window, where they've happily flowered for years, but
recently summat is wrong. John gave me a new one in
summer and I think it might have brought in some phal
disease, rather like colonialists taking measles to virgin
populations that had no immunity.

They've all got the lurgy. New flower spikes go brown and
bus fail, and there's a stickiness that was never there
before.

The stickiness sounds like some sort of sucking insect. Can't say I've
ever seen a brown flower spike, but I've seen a couple of plants die
over the dozen or so years I've been growing them.

I don't tend to look after them very well - irregular watering (too
little or too much!), weak fertiliser now and again, and rarely, if
ever, repot. And I never use orchid compost and sphagnum/bark. I use an ericaceous compost with added peat (when you could get it...), and
broken up bits of Oasis for drainage/aeration.
--
Jeff
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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

On 12/11/2025 10:52, Janet wrote:

I only wish my phalaenopsis were as happy and energetic
as yours :-) They make some new air roots but nothing
on a scale of travelling around to foreign parts, so zero
experience of ever sticking to anything.

At the moment mine all live on the same table in a north
window, where they've happily flowered for years, but
recently summat is wrong. John gave me a new one in
summer and I think it might have brought in some phal
disease, rather like colonialists taking measles to virgin
populations that had no immunity.

They've all got the lurgy. New flower spikes go brown and
bus fail, and there's a stickiness that was never there
before.

Janet

Check for small brown scales on the leaves and in any hidden places as
that sounds like Scale Insect a common problem with Phals. Getting rid
of them is difficult!
--
Regards
Bob Hobden
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