A hole instead of a flower spike

[Cricket 87]

Hi guys! I just joined the forum and I have a question as something unusual happened to my phal. I just bought it this morning and discoverd that she has a huge hole where the flower spike once was. I hope you can get an idea from the photo. I already have a few orchids and this never happened. I can't find any information about it.
What I did is that I sterilised the area with oxygen peroxide and put some cinnamon inside the hole.

Is there anything else I can do to help this orchid?

[fishmom]

Hello Cricket and welcome!


I suspect that you are worried about nothing with this phal. A spike or root split the leaf a bit, as will happen occasionally. The leaf is continuing to do its job, photosynthesizing to keep the plant growing. The leaf looks healthy and firm, so no worries.

[Arizona Jeanie]

Hello Cricket,
It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but do you think it's possible that a worker at the nursery accidentally stuck a stake for support of the flower spike through the wrong place? The area looks like it has already calloused, I'd just leave it alone and let the plant carry on. Chemicals such as peroxide and cinnamon can be toxic to healthy plant tissue, and it looks to me like the plant itself is taking care of this wound without any problem.

[Cricket 87]

Thanks fishmom and Arizona Jeanie!
I think that workers at nursery somehow managed to pull the entire spike out from the plant and then just left a peace of it in that hole to look like cut flower spike. When I inspected the plant at home I saw a wired looking spike, touched it and it fell off. That's how I discovered the hole.
Just to be safe I washed out cinnamon. Let's hope for the best as I really like this orchid!

[aliceinwl]

I think it will be fine. If you think there might be some damaged or dead tissue associated with the hole, keep that area dry. I haven’t had any issues with long term cinnamon in leaf axils, so I don’t think that will be a problem either.