Should I remove my phals spike

[protium]

Will removing a flower spike help a phalaenopsis recover from root rot?

I picked this phal up about month ago. It was growing in a clear well drained pot with bark. It was sending up a flower spike when I got it.

Since then it dropped some of the flower buds and only ended up with three flowers. Just last week I noticed mealy bugs in the potting media when I was watering.

I removed the old media and found many of the roots had rotten. I removed the bad roots and repotted with Schultz orchid mix which consists of fir bark, charcoal and porous ceramic material.

Within days of repoting one of the leaves has completely turned yellow and is going to die. I have moved the orchid to a room with no direct sunlight along with a humidifier.

The flowers still look fine.

Will removing the spike help at all?

[Judi]

Hi Protium, and welcome to Orchid Board! Wow, what a beautiful flower If it were my orchid I'd cut the spike close to the plant--placed in water, you should still be able to enjoy it for a while. Although there are no guarantees, it can't hurt. Did you put a little cinnamon on the cuts? Cinnamon is a great fungicide. Also I hope you washed off the remaining roots and pot to make sure there ar no more buggies--keep an eye out to make sure they don't come back. I would use K-L-N, a rooting stimulant to try and get the chid to root faster. I've always had good luck with it for all my chids

[RosieC]

I think I would remove a spike if the plant is struggling. As Judi said put it in water because the flower spikes can be treated like cut flowers for a while.

[protium]

Thank you both for the welcome and reply

I didn't know about using cinnamon as a fungicide, that is good to know for the future. I tried to be thorough in cleaning the roots and pot but I will be sure to watch very closely.

I will try to find K-L-N , hopefully a local nursery will carry it. If I can't find K-L-N a assume similar products would be worth a try. Are there any root stimulants known to be detrimental to orchids?

I figured it would be good to remove the spike. However, it was very satisfying watching it grow and finally flower so I thought I would ask before cutting it.

Thanks again

[Sandy4453]

Originally Posted by protium

Will removing the spike help at all?

Probably but the most important thing you can do right now for your Phal. is to make sure there aren't any mealy bugs left. I lost 2 Phals this summer to them. They don't spare any part of the plant...roots, buds, they eat everything and hide in the crevices. Last count, I have 82 Phals and every single one has been sprayed and now maintained monthly with neem oil (tspn. of both, neem and dish soap in a quart sprayer). Without that, I'd have no Phals left. This summer was brutal with mealys but the neem works. I also found that the bagged bark (particularly Better-Gro and also Schultz) carry a lot of crawly unknown bugs. If using either of these, I'd recommend boiling the bark first which, I'd recommend even if you find the medium totally clean. It removes all doubts for me.

You may have lost the buds to the change in environment from where it came to where you put it and change in temps may also be responsible for bud loss but, if you saw mealys then, I suspect that's why you lost the buds. If the leaf that you've lost (yellowed) is one of the bottom leaves, then that may be due to just it's natural growth pattern with the older leaves expected to die off.

Cut the spike, make sure once again that the medium is totally clean and spray with the neem.

Good luck!!!

[protium]

Thank you for the advice Sandy, perhaps the lose of the leaf was natural. It was the oldest and largest leaf on the the plant and there is currently a new leaf well on its way.

I cut the spike just in case and added neem to my shopping list. I guess I incorrectly assumed the bagged media would be sterile. Thank you for sharing your experience. It is very much appreciated.

[Judi]

Yeah, I forgot about steralization. I always "bake" my medium for ~ an hour at 300 degrees. I buy my medium from reputable sources, but I never know where or for how long it was stored and what critters may have gotten in the mix. I store the cooled baked medium in ziplock bags in a sealed plastic container. That way, I'm always ready for an emergency repot or in case a chid follows me home. I always repot new purchases. As for a rooting stimulant, I can't get it locally so I order from the internet. I like K-L-N, some folks like Superthrive, just don't use the powdered rooting hormone that is readily available at nurseries. That is too strong for orchids and would probably damage them.