Condensation--Possible Crown Rot?

[cherrypuff]

My home is pretty dry (40% RH) so I usually have a humidifier on to raise the humidity. The humidifier raises the RH to around 70-80%. I also have a fan at night to circulate the air and to prevent condensation.

However, I forgot to turn on the fan yesterday night. When I checked this morning, most of my phals had condensation in the crown and base of their leaves. I immediately took a napkin and dried the affected areas.

What are the chances that this leads to crown rot? The night temperature was 75F/23.9C, and the water was probably sitting on the crown for a good 7 hours.

[rbarata]

Humidity of 70-80% inside your house is a problem... to you and the house (mold and similar issues causing respiratory problems). Don't worry about you Phals, they will be ok under those conditions for 7 hrs.
BTW, my house is usually around 20 to 30% and all my plants are growing well without any special measures (apart from watering more).

[Dalachin]

Very unlikely that a single incident like that would cause harm to a healthy plant. To the plant, perhaps it was like an unusual nighttime storm blowing through.

While it’s probably good advice to avoid getting water in the crown, many people water with a hose or a shower and even the phals do okay, as long as they aren’t always wet and cold (75 is decently warm fir a nighttime temp). The fan is a great idea, maybe put it in a timer or leave it on all the time (my plant fans are always on).

[Dimples]

I don’t pull out the humidifier until RH is expected to be <40% for a while.

---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

And I set my target RH for 50-55% maximum. Higher than that can cause mold and other issues in your home.

[Ray]

Water does not cause rot. Water pooled in the crown might provide an incubator for pathogens, but one night is probably insufficient to be an issue.

In the home, shoot for about 50% RH. That works for your plant, your house, and you.