Squishy leaf..What's wong??

[Smitha]

Hi All,
I have a NOID phalaenopsis which was bought in Aug 2010 in full bloom..After coming home,the plant grew well well & I enjoyed so many buds & flowers.. when that spike was in bloom,it grew another spike which now has 3 flowers...Since the flowers in the 1st spike wilted,I cut the spike to the bottom....A few days back,I changed the apartment & now the plant is sitting in a North west window with sufficient light..Today when I was watering in the morning,I noticed a squishy portion in the leaf where it is attached to the stem...the other part of the leaf & plant look fine..i am posting pics...Pls help me to find out if something is wrong with this phal..& how can I save it from further damage..

[RosieC]

I don't know what has caused it, but one of mine did that.

I would cut away the squishy part and try and remove all the squishy portion. Then dab the wound with cinnamon powder.

My first throught when mine did it was to stop it spreading and this seemed to work for me.

[beanluc]

Originally Posted by Smitha

a squishy portion in the leaf where it is attached to the stem

Sounds and looks like "crown rot".

In this case that term is a little it of a mis-nomer because the rot wasn't in the crown but in a leaf crotch.

Water can get into pockets at the crown (the hole which new leaves grow out of) or in leaf crotches (a little cup where the leaf joins the stem). If water collects there and stands, rot can set in.

We try to water phals in a way that prevents water collecting in these cavities, and, if water DOES get in there, it really should be removed ASAP with a Q tip or by blowing, perhaps using a straw.

In your case it seems the rot merely made the leaf drop off and possibly isn't continuing to spread through the stem at that spot. But I recommend that you carefully inspect the stem at the spot where the leaf was attached, and look for the same brown mushyness. If there's any of that on the stem, do follow the advice above and use a sterilized sharp blade to carve out the rotted spot. The plant will probably be fine.

When crown rot TRULY gets into the actual crown, it's extremely bad for the plant because it ruins its ability to make new leaves from that stem anymore. Even when the rot is caught and cleaned up, the only chance for survival is for the plant to throw up a keiki, which is a new stem and it may grow from the plant's base or from a flower spike.

Good luck!

[RJSquirrel]

its called erwinia and its the orchid death sentence

[euplusia]

Possible causes: Fungi (Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani) or Bacteriae ( Erwinia, Pseudomonas/Acidovorax).
The leaf tip looks like a Bacteriosis to me.
RosieC gave a good advice for treatment. Because both possible causes are highly contagious and Phalaenopsis of this sort quite cheap, I'd consider to discard.

[lauraeli]

NOOOO the dreaded soft rot D-:

(as stated above, also called erwinia.)

Had that happen to an african violet once :-( there was no saving it. I tried.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Erwinia it treatable if it is in the right location on the plant. The original post from March 2011 shows rot in the crown, that is tough to treat, plant loss more likely.

If the rot is away from the crown, cut the leaf off with a sharp sterile blade, cut in healthy tissue outside the infection, you are more likely to save the plant. Keep the plant dry afterward, observe it frequently for possible recurrence.