Help... Really bad root rot!!

[Marisol]

Thank you so much. I'll do that and keep my fingers crossed.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

I have found promoting humidity and providing warmth to the roots really helps out. I've had my fair share of battles with root rot.
I'm currently fighting to keep my leopard prince alive that's developed a case of it. I've repotted it out of season but it'll die if I do nothing.

Like Marisol, I also use ground cinnamon whenever I trim any roots and it seems to help out. I like using natural stuff and I'm not a big fan of chemical pesticides.

Oh and air circulation and providing air to the roots is also really good when coupled with humidity. Gotta love those "oxygen core" pots from repotme.com

[Sharon's Sheepdogs]

If the cinnamon is not stopping the rot, you may want to try soaking the phal in hydrogen peroxide. Make sure the peroxide gets into the crown as well. I let mine soak for several minutes and then I let the phal dry overnight on its side before repotting. If the rot is very bad, you may have to use the hydrogen peroxide for several days in a row.

To prevent the rot from returning, you need to make sure your potting media is drying quickly enough. I do not water my phals until the potting media is almost dry. Since phals are predisposed to crown rot, I still leave wooden skewers in the pot which I press to my cheek to see how wet the media is before I water. It always surprises me how some phals remain wetter than others even though they are grown in the same size pot and same media. That's why I always check first.

Also, if I suspect I've allowed water to get into the crown, I place the phal on it's side until the next day so I'm sure the water was able to drain out. Many people grow their phals on their sides to prevent crown rot and I've found this helpful as well.

If you continue to have problems with rot, you can try watering less often, growing on their sides, adding an additional fan and/or using a different type of potting material. I had many phals die from rot when I first started growing them. What I found worked best for my conditions was to pot the phals in a mixture of New Zealand sphag and bark. You need to figure out what works best for the conditions you are growing in. I believe that's where the ability to successfully grow orchids resides. Good luck!

[Ray]

You do know you replied to a 2012 thread, right?

[Sharon's Sheepdogs]

Half asleep when I wrote response. Probably a few more out there. Sorry.

[Ray]

Done so myself...

[Chemtiger]

If cinnamon is being applied to roots, "root rot" isn't going to kill the roots, desiccation will. Yeah. I'm almost in 2019, at 6 am, replying to a 2012 post. I need a life. Oh, I got my fertilizers, thank you Ray!!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Cinnamon is fine to use on cut leaves, but NEVER on roots. It may kill roots.

Oh wait. Nevermind, I too just realized how old this thread is. Coffee has not kicked in yet.

[estación seca]

Format C:\ /L >> nul
| Y
OK, where's my coffee?

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Format C:\ /L >> nul
| Y
OK, where's my coffee?

Ok . . . . ?
Sorry, not getting it.