Help! Dyed portion of phalaenopsis is now dead

[sara1234]

Hello!

My boyfriend got me a gorgeous orchid (phalaenopsis) that had been dyed hot pink for valentine's day. It appeared perfectly healthy for the first few days, but then the flowers started to wilt (I'm assuming this is part of their natural cycle).

My main concern is the area where the dye was injected. Over the past few weeks it has gone from what appears to be dead stem right around the injection site to about 2 inches around the whole stem of dead stem. However, the stem appears healthy above the nearest node and also towards the base of the stem. Will this dead injection site eventually affect the entire plant? Is this normal? Should i cut the stem? I have attached pictures. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[fooferdoggie]

just wait till it dries out and cut it off as low as possible.its ok. Now you should ask about care of the guy. thats important part

[aliceinwl]

This sounds normal. The stem/spike will likely die, but if you care for the plant it can bloom again. If you peruse the sticky thread “The Phal abuse ends here...” there are a lot of helpful care tips. Good luck with your new addition!

[camille1585]

Since the flowers are wilted anyway, you can go ahead and cut off the entire spike if you want, at the base. Normally a spike turns brown from the top and works its way down, so the dye injection must have affected the stem somehow. I wouldn't be concerned about it spreading to the plant itself.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Yes cut the spike.

I suggest getting a "dollar store" pair of scissors that you use just on orchids, that you can flame sterilize (blades only) between use on different plants. This sounds a little extreme, but cutting tools are a major disease transmission pathway between one cultivated orchid and another.

[estación seca]

Look in the Beginner forum for the thread on taking care of Phalaenopsis mentioned above by aliceinwl.