Dying phal - help! - Orchid Board

leen · #1 03-12-2009, 12:46 AM

Hi there,

My phal is dying, with yellow limp and mushy leaves. It begun dying yesterday when a perfectly green leaf fell off! i checked the roots and realized there was mold! so i wiped the crown and roots with isopropyl alcohol and sprinkled some cinnamon on it. and today, all the blooms are wilted so i snipped the flower stem (sorry, don't really know the correct terms) completely at the base. the remaining two leaves are beginning to get mushy as i can see some dark water patches. my phal is potted in bark and i had only watered it once a week. it is placed in a north facing room in front of french doors so there is plenty of indirect sunlight. could this be a problem though? there is no direct sunlight coming into the room so the plant is not absorbing enough heat or something?

what could be the cause of the mold? and is there a way to save my plant and the wilting leaves? i read about "sphag and bag" method in saving a dying plant. does it work and can someone give me more information as to how to do this? i don't want to give up on it and it's painful to watch my phal slowly die.

Zoi2 · #2 03-12-2009, 12:54 AM

Hello leen and welcome to the OB.
It sounds like your phal might not be getting enough light or air circulation and maybe too much water. Can you post a picture?
Joann

leen · #3 03-12-2009, 01:21 AM

thanks joann for your quick response! i'm new so lemme see if i can figure out how to post a photo.

camille1585 · #4 03-12-2009, 06:21 AM

It's hard to tell with all the cinnamon you put, it might be crown rot.
The leaf that fell off, where was it growing? Was is a bottom leaf, or the newest leaf? If it was the newest leaf, and mushy at the base, it probably crown rot. It happens sometimes if you let water sit in the crown too long, like overnight.

If it's crown rot, one thing that may help is pouring a bit of hydrogen peroxide in the crown, let it sit, then pour out. I've also read that you can pack the crown with cinnamon after, but not sure.

Sphag and bag won't do anything until you solve the rot issues. Btw, since you saw mold on the roots, did you put cinnamon on them too? If you did, you really should rinse it off the roots right away. Cinnamon is a strong dessicant, and will literaly pull water out of the roots.

leen · #5 03-12-2009, 12:57 PM

Thanks Camille! I didn't know I'm supposed to rinse the cinnamon off! maybe that's why the leaves have gone mushy too because i have sprinkled some on the leaves as well.

i will rinse my plant as soon as i get home tonight.

camille1585 · #6 03-12-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leen

Thanks Camille! I didn't know I'm supposed to rinse the cinnamon off! maybe that's why the leaves have gone mushy too because i have sprinkled some on the leaves as well.

i will rinse my plant as soon as i get home tonight.

Cinnamon isn't a problem on the leaves, it's on the roots that it's a problem, since they need to absorb water for the plant. How do the roots look by the way? Aside from the rot, if the roots are not looking good that may explain the wilting of the leaves.

fieldsofgold · #7 03-12-2009, 01:03 PM

Concerning the mold growing on your phal, I've used Physan 20 on my phal that had root rot and it cleared away the fungus/mold.

I'm sure there are other remedies that are better/safer/cheaper than Physan 20 (nauseating smell) but it worked for me.

Good luck!

leen · #8 03-12-2009, 02:27 PM

i cut off all the soft and rotting roots. the remaining ones are firm even though some had dark coloration.

hm. then what could be the cause of the mushy patches on the leaves? coz as u can see from the first photo, the left leaf has a small dark spot where it's soft. if the leaf is rotting, shouldn't it start rotting from the crown first and upwards rather than in the middle? i'm so confused.

thanks fieldsofgold, i will keep that in mind. i hope there is a more natural way to kill mold. i really don't want to use chemicals on my phal.