I really tried to do the best I could with Audrey at work. At first, it was ok, but lately, her roots have been looking a bit worse for wear. She went through most of her blooming cycle and has retained a few of her dainty flowers. But as far as her roots, I suspect they are sunburned. Currently, I still time share a window at work, and since the executive that occupied that office was out on leave,it worked out perfectly. However, since the person retired recently and now the office is slated for another occupant, they may not be as flexible...and then what?
Since I purchased the new humidity trays and have revamped my setup at home, I have discovered I actually have a limited amount of additional space. This being the case, I decided to just bring Audrey home. In my apartment, I will be able to give her more dedicated care and repot her into something smaller.
I think the 2 main reasons she is skating by is that the window exposure may be too much during the weekends when I am not in the office, and since she is potted in a larger pot, the soil remains wet at the bottom and dries up where the sun hits it. By the time, I come in on Monday, the top most soil, and where the roots are exposed to air, are totally bone dry while the soil in the bottom 3" - 4" of the pot are still quite wet. In order to avoid rotting the roots, I usually wait to water her, but she is probably really thirsty by then, and since there is no breeze, it takes the medium a lot longer to dry out at the bottom.
In the office, I don't have a dedicated fan for her so she really does not get too much air circulation. All this can be controlled much easier at home. To be able to do this in the office, I would have to make a substantial investment in a quality fan and grow lights since I won't have access to a window any longer. Besides, I am not even certain how well a grow light, despite choosing one that would blend in with the decor, and would be rather inconspicuous, would be received by my coworkers. Not to mention, I would have to reorganize my workspace entirely to make this work.
So taking all this into consideration, and the fact that Snow White is doing so well at home demonstrating I might have finally gotten the Phal basic care down pat, I think it is the most prudent choice.
Update
That evening when I got home, I repotted Audrey into a 4" nursery square pot. Her roots were actually in pretty good shape. The ends were not rotted just the roots near the base of the crown were scorched by the sun.
I am certain she will be much happier in this much smaller pot. And since I can't resist...one more closeup look at those pretty little flowers!
Since I purchased the new humidity trays and have revamped my setup at home, I have discovered I actually have a limited amount of additional space. This being the case, I decided to just bring Audrey home. In my apartment, I will be able to give her more dedicated care and repot her into something smaller.
I think the 2 main reasons she is skating by is that the window exposure may be too much during the weekends when I am not in the office, and since she is potted in a larger pot, the soil remains wet at the bottom and dries up where the sun hits it. By the time, I come in on Monday, the top most soil, and where the roots are exposed to air, are totally bone dry while the soil in the bottom 3" - 4" of the pot are still quite wet. In order to avoid rotting the roots, I usually wait to water her, but she is probably really thirsty by then, and since there is no breeze, it takes the medium a lot longer to dry out at the bottom.
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| Audrey's sunburned roots |
In the office, I don't have a dedicated fan for her so she really does not get too much air circulation. All this can be controlled much easier at home. To be able to do this in the office, I would have to make a substantial investment in a quality fan and grow lights since I won't have access to a window any longer. Besides, I am not even certain how well a grow light, despite choosing one that would blend in with the decor, and would be rather inconspicuous, would be received by my coworkers. Not to mention, I would have to reorganize my workspace entirely to make this work.
So taking all this into consideration, and the fact that Snow White is doing so well at home demonstrating I might have finally gotten the Phal basic care down pat, I think it is the most prudent choice.
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Update
That evening when I got home, I repotted Audrey into a 4" nursery square pot. Her roots were actually in pretty good shape. The ends were not rotted just the roots near the base of the crown were scorched by the sun.
I am certain she will be much happier in this much smaller pot. And since I can't resist...one more closeup look at those pretty little flowers!
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