Root Issue spreading to crown

[Julissa]

The story behind this orchid can be found here:

Can a Phal orchid Burn Out?

About a week ago, the three largest roots of the orchid became loose at the base of the plant with a brown edge closes to the crown.

I was advised not to do anything and just repot it. I was waiting for the roots to need water again before I went ahead an repot it. Today seemed like a good day to repot since the moss was dry along with the roots looking silvery.

When I took the orchid out of the pot I noticed that there is something wrong with it.

What I feared might happen, is happening. I'm not sure if its bacteria or fungus but something is definitely wrong with it. The area has a gray/white tint to it and it is also soft/mushy. Below are pictures of the area.

Last Week:






Today:







Please help me figure out what is going on and how to cure it.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I don't see anything in the circles you drew, but clearly you do.

Best advice I can offer, leave the plant bare root for a while (you can place the roots in an empty pot). Run the roots under a faucet once a day, let it dry in between. Take daily photos of the roots from both sides of the plant to compare and see if you see any problem that is progressing.

If you reach a point where no changes are occurring, pot in new pot/new bark, NO MOSS, water thoroughly but not often (once a week).

[Bunch_Of_Roots]

Based on your pictures, the plant doesn't seem like it is in rapid decline or has any infections. If anything, the phal looks like it really wants to live by putting out a lot of new root tips.

If you are worry about rot, or the symptoms become worst you can try vase culture. Put the roots into a glass vase. This way you can observe any progression and the roots would the plant will not become desiccated because the vase will retain humidity around the roots. You can water the plant by filling the vase and soak the roots for 5-10 minutes once a day. Then pour out all the water.

[silken]

What I do see looks like white fuzzy mold. Like it has been damp too long. But not where your circle is. Anyone else seeing that?

[bil]

Originally Posted by silken

What I do see looks like white fuzzy mold. Like it has been damp too long. But not where your circle is. Anyone else seeing that?

Yeah, I was wondering what that was....

[estación seca]

Except the roots under the white stuff look healthy, and you usually don't see fuzzy white mold on living plant parts. Has anybody seen mealy bugs look like that?

[Julissa]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

I don't see anything in the circles you drew, but clearly you do.

Best advice I can offer, leave the plant bare root for a while (you can place the roots in an empty pot). Run the roots under a faucet once a day, let it dry in between. Take daily photos of the roots from both sides of the plant to compare and see if you see any problem that is progressing.

If you reach a point where no changes are occurring, pot in new pot/new bark, NO MOSS, water thoroughly but not often (once a week).

Thank you for the suggestion, I placed the orchid in an empty pot but still within the aquarium to keep moisture in. I will be taking daily pictures to see if anything changes.

Originally Posted by Bunch_Of_Roots

Based on your pictures, the plant doesn't seem like it is in rapid decline or has any infections. If anything, the phal looks like it really wants to live by putting out a lot of new root tips.

If you are worry about rot, or the symptoms become worst you can try vase culture. Put the roots into a glass vase. This way you can observe any progression and the roots would the plant will not become desiccated because the vase will retain humidity around the roots. You can water the plant by filling the vase and soak the roots for 5-10 minutes once a day. Then pour out all the water.

Thank you, I will definitely be watering the orchid like that for a while to see if it helps stop the issue.

Originally Posted by silken

What I do see looks like white fuzzy mold. Like it has been damp too long. But not where your circle is. Anyone else seeing that?

I just assumed they were root hair trying to latch on to the moss.

Originally Posted by estación seca

Except the roots under the white stuff look healthy, and you usually don't see fuzzy white mold on living plant parts. Has anybody seen mealy bugs look like that?

The orchid has been in the aquarium since I tried saving it in order to keep moisture in. If it is mealy bugs, the only way they would be able to enter is trough a hole on the lid.

Here is a picture of the progression of the issue:



You can't really see it, but that area circled is hollowed into the base of the plant. I originally thought it was mushy, but it turned out to be the skin of the orchid covering the hollow part

[bil]

This phal would have to be irreplaceable for me to keep it.

Otherwise I would bin it in a heartbeat.

[silken]

Phal roots don't have hair. They are a smooth spongy cover that when wet turn a plump green and when dry are a silvery white colour. Old roots can still be healthy but take on a bit of brown colouring from bark and weathering if on top of the pot. Fuzz can be mould, mealy bugs or immature scale. Look for small round dots on the stem and underside of leaves to see mature female scale. The immature look exactly like white mould. Mealies are white and fuzzy but you can usually see the individual bugs as they are rather large. Maybe babies look like this, not sure.

[Julissa]

Originally Posted by silken

Phal roots don't have hair. They are a smooth spongy cover that when wet turn a plump green and when dry are a silvery white colour. Old roots can still be healthy but take on a bit of brown colouring from bark and weathering if on top of the pot. Fuzz can be mould, mealy bugs or immature scale. Look for small round dots on the stem and underside of leaves to see mature female scale. The immature look exactly like white mould. Mealies are white and fuzzy but you can usually see the individual bugs as they are rather large. Maybe babies look like this, not sure.

I thought they grew hair on the roots to latch on to their surroundings? There are no signs of bugs. Both mature or immature. The white area doesn't look like mold either. It's not fluffy like cotton or web like. The white area is literally hair.

I tried scraping the hair gently with my nail and even tried plucking it. Neither caused any of the hair to fall off.

Here are some pictures of the hair: