The Phal abuse ends here.

[dreamynights]

Hi all,

I repotted my orchid in March, about two months ago. The orchid had troubles with its blooms with some bud blast. After all the blooms fell, I cut off the spike and repotted. A lot of the roots were rotting and had to be cut off. I tried to keep as much green as possible but most of the green roots did not look too good either - they were mostly dark green with spots of dark brown undertones. All the tips of the roots were also black - I cut some off and dusted with cinnamon. The orchid had originally been in 100% sphagnum moss. I repotted in moss with some bark and charcoal mixed in. After about a month, I started fertilizing lightly, about twice so far. My mother has also been watering the orchid and does not wait for the moss to completely dry out.

I noticed about 2 weeks ago that the crown of the bottom leaf had browned. I tried to keep water away from the crown and dry out all droplets I saw. The browning does not seem to have progressed. The bottom leaf had been shown a slight yellow undertone. This week I started noticing a small brown undertone along with it.

This week I also saw at least 15 small white bugs crawling on one of the roots. They were pretty fast, not slow. Google suggested they were mealy bugs. I did not see any white fuzz anywhere so maybe they are something else? I swiped the area with rubbing alcohol and got all the little bugs. I found two small red objects - one stuck in a tight space in a root. Do they look like an egg or something else?

I also removed a bunch of the moss around the area and the crown. However, upon removing some of the moss from the crown, it can be seen that where the roots connects to the crown are black and shriveled. All previous brown spots seem to be continuing to turn worst. Most of the roots are still firm but two roots at the bottom that are black are starting to be a little mushy.

My questions are - what might be the cause of the root connections to turn black and thin like this? Is it root rot or did I fertilize too soon? Should I cut off all the roots with bad connections or wait longer since most of them are still firm? Also could I get detailed descriptions of possible white bugs that might have appeared on my orchid?

Thank you!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

How much cinnamon did you use and where were they applied?

Cinnamon contains a phytochemical called cinnamaldehyde that acts as a natural fungicide, true, but it also has properties of a desiccant and a growth inhibitor.

---------- Post added at 11:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 AM ----------

That red egg-like object is a grain of reddish sand.

The black edge on the petiole is nothing to worry about, but it is possibly from past fungal damage.

The darkening roots is because the media is probably staying too wet.

The browning tips of the leaves, I can't see.

There is nothing wrong with the crown.

---------- Post added at 11:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:25 AM ----------

I'm doing a little thinking...

I believe the "browning" you mention might be anthocyanin pigmentation.

---------- Post added at 11:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 AM ----------

The tiny white insects are probably springtails.

[orchid-recruit]

Yes, because they can't be mealybugs if they move fast!

[dreamynights]

To answer King_of_orchid_growing, I applied cinnamon on the spike that I cut - enough to cover the entire surface of it. I didnt cut the spike all the way cause I thought it would just shrivel up on its own quickly. The spike stayed green for a long time and is still not completely dried yet. Then I tried to dust/dab some cinnamon on ends of the roots that I had cut but it was not a lot since I had difficulty handling it. I was expecting to see some growth on the orchid by now but have not seen any.

Also the red thing does not seem like sand as it is not hard. It seemed more like a tough rubbery texture but did not pop like an egg when I squeezed it. I will not worry about it though!

This was very helpful though. I was thinking about repotting my plant this weekend again to remove any remaining bugs and trims some of the roots. But now I am thinking it will be just fine! I just removed moss near the crown so it will not stay as wet near those areas. Thanks for your replies!

[butterfly_muse]

One thing, don't put cinnamon on roots. It will suck the moisture right on out of them.

[Rowangreen]

Putting a bit of cinamon just on the cut ends is OK.

You need to be strict with your mum: no more watering when it's still damp! You've got a clear pot so make the rule that it doesn't get watered at least until the roots down in the pot have gone silvery (better to go a bit over this than under probably). Water it at the sink so any excess can drain away too.

Don't cut off the dried out roots: the roots have an absorbant outer layer and a core that transports water. If they are green further down then probably the core is still working. It's normal to lose a few roots when changing from one medium to another. Hopefully the plant will soon put out some fresh new roots. It looks pretty healthy overall.

[gingersmommy]

My advise is, if you even suspect mealys or bugs, use an insecticide. After battling mealy bugs for two years trying the organic way (repotting with fresh medium, soap and alcohol treatments, hand picking, etc.), I finally got on this site and used the Bayer Rose and Garden spray on my plants. Before that, I had to cut many a spike after they took over the flowers. I would try to clean the flowers with a q-tip, but the next day, they would come out of no where and be on the flowers. It was very discouraging and I was almost ready to give up. I think I finally have them licked now, but I reapply every couple of weeks to be sure. They are very persistent critters and it takes diligence to get rid of them. I have them on humidity trays and I clean those carefully every couple of weeks, microwave the grates, and then put some Bayer spray in the water for the tray. Buggers.

[Cintirella]

I read somewhere, that one way to rid them is: let the plant dry as much as you can. Seems these bugs like the wetness in the media. I had something like that when I lived in Fla. ( humidity didn't help )- as soon as I moved north ( Illinois ) they were gone. Of course I kept very rigid schedule on the watering. But these bugs will fly in and out of the plant. tiny tiny little bugs.

[Discus]

Originally Posted by Cintirella

I read somewhere, that one way to rid them is: let the plant dry as much as you can. Seems these bugs like the wetness in the media. I had something like that when I lived in Fla. ( humidity didn't help )- as soon as I moved north ( Illinois ) they were gone. Of course I kept very rigid schedule on the watering. But these bugs will fly in and out of the plant. tiny tiny little bugs.

This sounds like fungus gnats to me, rather than mealybugs?

[gingersmommy]

As far as letting the plant dry, I can tell you that doesn't work. I think they get their moisture by sucking it out of the leaves, so they will not be deterred by dry medium, roots. They especially like to feed in the crown or on the new leaves, on the flowers, etc.