Severely sunburned Phalaenopsis

[cra323]

I brought home the most beautiful and healthy looking phalaenopsis the other day. It was in the midst of a bloom, with several promising buds, healthy looking roots, and strong leaves. And then... I left it in the car. I know, I know, I know... I am a horrible, awful, no good orchid mother. Sigh.

Needless to say, it is hurting... badly. The top leaves have wilted and turned a dead looking greenish/brown. A couple of the new roots are blackish. The flowers are all burnt and dying, and it didn't help that my 22 month old decided to pop a few of them off. The buds are turning black and drooping. And the tips of the spikes are turning black. It truly is a sad, pitiful sight.

My questions are: Is there anything I can do to help it? Should I go ahead and cut the spikes? Or should I just let nature run its course? Is it even salvageable?

Poor thing. I feel terrible every time I look at it.

[ALToronto]

Is the base of the leaves still ok, or is it damaged too? If so, the plant is probably gone. If you want to take the chance that it might recover, you should cut off the spike - it's taking valuable energy away from the plant.

A mass market phal is probably not worth saving, unless you want the experience of caring for a challenging orchid.

[cra323]

Thanks for responding!

The top leaves are complete goners. The leaves under are partially burned, and then the bottom most leaves are just fine.

I don't mind gaining the experience trying to save it if it is save-able.

Am I correct to assume the orchids sold at Whole Foods are mass produced?

[ALToronto]

WF phals are mass produced; sometimes they also carry other genera with labels - I bought a named oncidium at the Toronto store a couple of years ago, and it has done very well for me.

If the top leaves are black all the way to the base, the plant is most likely gone - this is similar to crown rot. If an otherwise healthy phal succumbs to crown rot, the base can still send up basal keikis (not a guarantee, but possible). However, in your case, the entire plant has been compromised, so I would just chalk it up to a regretful lesson and start again with a new, healthy plant.

[cra323]

Well, bummer. I figured as much, but I was hopeful.

Thanks again for the advice/info. Now I need to find a place around here that doesn't sell mass produced phals

[ALToronto]

Your local orchid society is probably the best source - all the growers in your area are members.

[james mickelso]

But.... maybe....you can learn from this catastrophe and save this plant. Even the worst of sinners can find redemption. Put it somewhere that has subdued light levels and is warm. Let whatever tissue die off without doing anything. Once it is dead and dry, cut it off with a razorblade. Water it lightly. Is it in sphagnum moss (most likely)? If so, water it by just sprinkling some water on the top of the moss, wait a bit and sprinkle some more. Don't soak it. There is little left to absorb and utilize the water. You are only keeping it humidified. The leaves that weren't burned too badly will give it enough energy to produce new leaves or at least a keiki. There are roots still buried in the moss and those will keep this going. Orchids are incredibly resilient organisms so give it a helping hand. It'll surprise you. You can throw it away but you can also learn a great deal and win. Your choice.

[Joyorchid]

There is hope! The picture below is a little mini phal I bought for 75 cents. I knew it was in bad shape but the roots were good, so it was a learning project. The mother lost all its leaves but then sprouted a basal keiki.

[Joyorchid]

Here is the little guy 6 months later with 4 new leaves on its basal keiki!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by cra323

Well, bummer. I figured as much, but I was hopeful.

Thanks again for the advice/info. Now I need to find a place around here that doesn't sell mass produced phals

To each their own, but there is nothing really wrong with those mass-produced Phalaenopsis in WF or other groceries. They are actually good orchids to learn with.