Mold while blooming?

[townlakelady]

Hi! I’ve got an orchid I’ve managed to keep alive for over a year now and it is blooming again (yay!) but there appears to be mold in the medium (boo). I’ve attached photos. I don’t want to lose the blooms - should I wait for it to finish blooming before trying to treat the mold and repotting? Is there anything I can do now for the mold that won’t disrupt the blooms? Thank you!!

[aliceinwl]

The picture is not displaying. If it is a complex hybrid Phalaenopsis (the ones carried at most box stores) and you’re gentle, these can be repotted even while in bloom with minimal risk of flower drop.

The mold in media is usually feeding off decaying organic matter. Overly wet conditions can favor growth but sometimes even properly watered media gets it. It usually doesn’t cause any issues for the plant but is symptomatic of broken down media that needs to be switched out for fresh. The other option would be to wait for the blooms to finish and then repot. If it’s a Phalaenopsis, these can stay in bloom for months so you may want to do something like give yourself a set amount of time to enjoy the flowers and then repot for the long term health of the plant.

Trying to treat mold in the media will not be effective. Fungal spores are in the air. If you do successfully treat it, it’ll be instantly recolonized and doing things like pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pot pose more of a risk to your plant than the fungi.

[townlakelady]

Thanks Alice for the tip! I updated the post and you should see the photos now. Yes, I think this is your basic phal. If I decide to repot now, what do you recommend treating the plant with after I wash off all the other media? I just don't want to re-innoculate the new media with the old mold spores. Thank you so much!

[Roberta]

Mold grows where conditions are amenable to it - wet, broken down media. Great for mold, bad for orchid roots. So if you simply provide a good environment for orchid roots - damp but not constantly wet,wet, lots of air spaces, let dry out somewhat between waterings, you won't have a mold problem because the conditions won't be friendly to it. Mold spores are always around, but they don't do anything if conditions aren't right... which is the goal of the repot effort. With the proper conditions for the orchid, nature will take care of the rest.

[townlakelady]

Thanks Roberta - that is a good tip for once I don't have the mold anymore, but what do I do with the mold now? if I repot it now, do I treat it with something to be sure the mold doesn't come back?

[Roberta]

Just rinse off the roots to remove the major amount of crud. Repot into fresh medium. When you water, do it throughly - so water runs out of the pot (which flushes crud and pulls air into the root zone) and let drain before putting in any sort of saucer or other container. A good way to determine when it needs it again is to weigh the pot right after watering (A kitchen scale or postal scale does the job) Then over the next few days, weigh it each day. When the rate of losing weight (due to water evaporation) levels off, then it's time to do it again. After you do it a few times, you'll have a feel for how fast the plant dries out, and so will have a better idea of how often to water it. You shouldn't have to give any treatment beyond fresh medium, that will set up a healthy environment for the orchid and discourage mold regrowth.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by townlakelady

I don't have the mold anymore, but what do I do with the mold now?

TL ------ not sure what is meant by the above --- but you know how mold can grow on walls in a bathroom etc when the humidity stays high - such as not enough air movement or air flow? The same thing can happen inside an orchid pot if there's little to know air-flow through the pot and media. Especially when cool and damp. So the type of pot used (eg. holes - number and size - on the bottom of the pot, and also the kind of media used, and some air-movement in the growing area ..... can help eliminate or cut down on mold growth.

[Orchidtinkerer]

I don't think there is any concern here.

I agree with Southpark and generally I wage war on grey moulds but this mold has not affected the roots looking at the picture so it could even be beneficial mold.
The fact it is white means I would be less worried until I saw it attacking a root which I can't see on the picture.

So just regular drying out should be fine for this one...

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board. I would unpot, gently remove the old medium, and repot into new medium. Don't cut any roots. Dead ones might fall off in your hands.

You can learn about Phals here. From the left yellow menu choose Forums then Beginners. Near the top click on the sticky thread The Phal abuse stops here.

[townlakelady]

Super helpful, thanks everyone!!