Newbie, what to do with phal and rot spots

[saterus]

I have a phal that I got almost 2 years ago, no idea what it is specifically, just that it was among many xmas orchids that went on clearance after the holidays (and a month or so of poor care). It did good for a while after I stuck it in a pot of gravel with bark chips on top. Stopped flowering a few months after I got it so I cut off the spike. This summer, when I started adding fertilizer, grew 2 new leaves and was doing pretty good with one or two waterings a week and a good soak once a month in fertilized water. Life got hectic, we moved very suddenly, a relative died, and we helped our best frind moved away. I Neglected it severely for weeks...
From forgetting to water to forgetting it was soaking for 2 days, the wooden spike support molded and caused rot spots in 2 older leaves. They appeared suddenly as a black circle with a white, sunken, almost papery center. I finally got the time to read up on orchids (yes, I jumped in knowing very little about them) everything says cut out the infected area imediately, so that's what I did, finally. It's been probably 3-4 weeks since the spots appeared, they grew very little after I first noticed them. I cut both leaves nearly entirely off, plus a small piece of one of the newer ones as it looked like something similar was starting and then removed a few roots that shriveled and discolored after I forgot it soaking. The roots looked potentially mold/bacteria infected on the outside but inside they are vibrant green so I stopped cutting them off after removing the worst ones.
It also has sprouted 3 new roots and a flower spike (now about 5-6in long) from it's base. I left it in a drafty window in MN fall and triggered it to flower I guess

I coated all the cut surfaces in cinnamon paste and gently placed in a clean new pot with bark chips/shredded coconut husk over a layer of pebbles and marbles sitting on a dish of pebbles. It's also in a new spot by an equally bright window that is draft free.

Sorry for the long post but I have no idea what to do now. I know I shouldn't have repotted right after it sent out a flower spike but I wanted it in something unaffected by whatever rotted the leaves.
Will it have the energy to flower and recover from this surgery?
Should I think about cutting the spike off to prevent flowering and raise the temp to encourage foliage?
Should I raise the temp and try to turn the spike into a keiko? Might that save the mother plant energy to put towards new leaves/roots?
Should I remove more/all of the bad looking roots with healthy centers or just leave them?

Or, should I just leave it alone now and water it like normal and quit being so paranoid, lol?

Again, sorry for the long post but I've wanted to grow orchids for years and don't want to get anymore until this impulse 1st one is either recovering or gone and I've learned a few more lessons.. My mother grew them when I was young but everything she tought me about them has turned out flawed, at best.

[Zoi2]

Hello and welcome to the OB.
It sounds like you're doing ok with your phal, any chance you can post a picture? If it were mine, I would just leave it alone for a while and see what it does....continue giving good culture.
Joann

[Cyplover]

Soak a soft cloth in warm water with NO soap and wipe of the moldy bacteria infested roots and yes if I were you I would cut off the flower spike at it's base so the plant uses that wannabe flower energy for growing new roots. good luck!

[saterus]

I did wash/scrub the roots when, shortly after the too-long soak, they started getting fuzzy with distilled water and a washcloth and they deteriorated to what they are now but they haven't gotten worse in a few weeks. I thought they were rotten but those bright green insides certainly don't look rotten! lol
On close inspection some of them look like they are budding fresh tips through the rough looking outside so I am leaving the rest alone. Plus there are those 3 new ones, so I have hope for it.

Will try to post some pics shortly..

[saterus]

Okay, gonna try some photos:
This is what it looked like just before surgery, the larger spot just started growing the other day which is what prompted me to say crap, I've let this go WAY too long..


"front" that faces the light normally

"back" that faces away from the light


After surgery with the removed leaves


Where I made the cuts I looked like all healthy tissue inside, hoping I got it all.

Back in it's new home and in the new pot, I propped up the two larger leaves slightly with plastic spoons to allow better airflow and to keep them away from any damp roots or medium.

The condensation in the pot is because the gravel was still warm/wet from washing it before I layered everything. There's an inch of marbles at the bottom but you can't really tell since the gravel filled in some of the gaps.

Should I worry about the odd coloring near the tip of that newest leaf on top? I didn't really notice it until I looked at the flash pictures.. It blends better in natural light.

Anyone else think I should cut that spike off??
Still think it has a chance if I just leave it alone and take care of it now?

*edit
And thank you both for your quick responses!

[Call_Me_Bob]

I think your doing fine. Leave the spike. If the plant cant handle it, it will terminate by itself. Just let it do it's thing. The spots on the leaves look like sunburn. But since in the new location it isn't getting burned further, I'd say it's fine now. Keep up the good work!

Welcome to the forum! Make sure you post pics when it blooms. We all love pics here!!

[BobInBonita]

The reddish coloring usually comes with high light conditions. I personally strive for it because the plant is at its highest growth.

Be careful of a couple things - high light means you are approaching sunburn territory. The spots on your leaves might have originally been sunburn caused. If a spot of direct sunlight stays on the same spot for too long, it can burn just part of the leaf. Sunburn will usually look like a bleaching of the leaf. When it just burns a spot in the leaf, the sunburned spot can dry like yours did. Because of the damaged tissue, a secondary fungal or bacterial infection can set in.

The other thing to watch out for is too much moisture. It looks like your mix has quite a bit of sphagnum, which can really hold water. I'd be careful of over-watering. Maybe try more frequent but very light waterings until the plant acclimates from the repotting.

When I lived in MN, I grew ina medium bark/charcoal mix and watered thoroughly about once a week if I was sure the plants were dry. In winter with really low humidity indoors I would increase the watering to twice a week, but that was in bark not shagnum.

Whatever you're doing, other than the damaged areas, the plant looks reasonably healthy to me, and spikes are always a good thing. I'd probably leave the spike and see what happens, but it will put a demand on the plant. I'd treat it consistently, because it looks pretty well adapted to your conditions.

[saterus]

No sphagnum! Like I said, the condensation was from warm wet gravel just after I repotted it. That should lesson or dissapear in a day or so. The plant is sitting in a 65/35 or so mix of bark chips and shredded coconut husk. They were only slightly damp so I figure with the moisture in the gravel I can probably avoid watering it for a day or so and let it settle. After tomorrow I will resume my twice weekly waterings and monthly fert that seemed to do it so good and hopefully not touch it otherwise.

The plant was in very high light windows until these spots showed up, now it is far enough away to receive only bright, indirect light. I also did not know previously that afternoon sun was worse for it than ealry morning and afternoon sun was what it got

One thing I have yet to look into is grow lights.. I have several on hand for aquariums that have unused plant lights and wondered if turning them on for an hour or so a day would maybe help since I live so far north. Any thoughts?

[saterus]

Reading, thinking, opinions here.. I'm gonna leave the spike and let it do what it will. If it flowers I'm fine with a poor bloom, but it can't be all bad and it'll improve in another year or so. If I get a keiko instead of flowers, I'll wrap it in sphagnum as soon as it grows roots and transplant as soon as it seems sturdy and all around just do what I can for the mother plant the whole time.
Pretty much just leave it as is and hope for the best

[ardera]

Do you have an east facing window? Usually they are perfect for phals, they get bright early morning light, but not that harsh afternoon light. Or, if you have a south window, use a sheer curtain on it, in front of the plant. It definitely got a LOT of light at some point, since it turned your new leaf purple. The white spots also remind me of sunburn. I made the mistake of taking home a Phal, that I had at work (I was going to repot it, then decided to leave it at home), and at work it was really at the bare minimum of light for a Phal (if even that much). I had left it sitting in my south window, which is reserved for my higher light chids, and I burned it. Got the same white spots on some leaves, and some just got white on the edges of the leaves. I cut off the bad leaves, and moved him into my east window. Now he is doing well, still has not rebloomed, but considering what I put him through I'm just happy that he is doing well.

My mother lives in northern MN, and light is not really an issue. If you have an east window, or south with some kind of protection (like I mentioned earlier), you do not need any additional light. Phals do not need a LOT of light, like some other orchids. I think they are one of the lowest on the light level requirement scale.