Bug Replelent on My Phal - Orchid Board

Swamprat · #1 11-22-2008, 03:12 PM

My Phal was doing very well...when I got it , it had no flowers just a spike. I had it for a few weeks and it flowered nicely. I was proud that I helped make this plant happy enough to produce these nice contemporary white flowers. Right around the same time I got my Phal I went out and bought sapplings and potted them (my new bonsai trees) and put them in the same window as my Phal. They were all doing well. My Phal started growing new roots and everything, I was quite happy. I came home from my girlfriends parrent's one night to find a shiny residue on the leaves of all my plants in that window. I wiped a Phal leaf with my finger and tasted it. It burned my tounge and I insantly knew it was "Off Bug Replelent". My girlfriend and I live with three other people and two of them have no respect for plants or hard work at all. The leaves on my bonsai trees immediatly turned brown. The peddles on my Phal started to wilt and black spots on the leaves started to form. My Phal now has no flowers. When I saw this I rinsed all the plans off thuroughly but this did not help.

Should I cut the spike?

When I got the plant it didn't have flowers and I left the spike, it grew a new spike from the existing one and flowered. I looked at my Orchid carefully and it looks like there's only been one other spike, the spike I see now would be the second. I know you're supposed to cut it off at some point (which some one did to the first spike before I owned it).

What should I do about this plant?

Swamper · #2 11-22-2008, 03:42 PM

I usually leave them till they turn brown, but in this case,cut it to give the plant some needed energy. When you do cut it, apply some cinnamon powder to the cut to help cure it.

BikerDoc5968 · #3 11-22-2008, 03:43 PM

Don't know that cutting the spike will improve the ability of the plant to survive this insult! Certainly the plant puts alot of energy into creating the spike and growing the flowers. I don't at this point in time if washing the leaves with a mild soap and water and then rinsing it again would help. Just make sure to keep it warm if you get the medium really wet so you don't have a problem with rotting roots. Good luck....