Phalaenopsis bud blast and black spike

[Neworchidowner12]

Hi all,

I was given a Phalaenopsis about 3 weeks ago. It started off with 5 flowers and 3 buds, but the buds quickly wilted and fell off, and since then the end of the spike where they were has turned black. Now two of the flowers have fallen off as well.

I have only watered the orchid once since getting it, as the medium seems to retain a lot of moisture. I do mist the leaves/roots about once daily.

What could be causing this and what should I do about it?

Here are some pictures of the end of the spike and the whole orchid:



Thanks in advance!

[Orchid Whisperer]

There appears to be some sort of rot (fungal?) Going on in the spike. I would try clipping the spike off (just above the upper bloom, use scissors with cutting tips sterilized with bleach, or flame) to see if you can keep your flowers. If the flowers keep falling, cut off the whole spike just above where it comes out of the plant.

I advise against mist ing the plant, this can make rot worse
To provide humidity, try a pebble tray, or keep the plant in as group with other plants.

[ShadePlant]

Yes I agree it is some sort of rot either bacterial or fungal. You can cut the spike off as suggested and then dust the cut end with some cinnamon. When you slip the orchid out of the terra cotta pot how do the roots look? I would also advise against the daily misting as it just sets up a situation for rot to occur.

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[estación seca]

The roots are everything. They rot if kept too wet. Phalaenopsis do best when watered, then let dry.

There is a good sticky thread on these in the Beginners forum here. From the left menu choose Forums then Beginners then The Phal Abuse Stops Here.

You don't say where you live. This could also be cold damage, incurred when moving the plant between building and car, or putting the spike tip next to a cold window. It looks to me more like cold damage than rot.

[Dollythehun]

My first thought was cold damage. Great minds, Estacion? Plus, I have a lot of experience with frozen plants lately😝

[jkofferdahl]

I could go either way on this one but am also leaning toward cold damage. Where does the plant grow, and has it been exposed to cold? For a Phalaenopsis, cold that can damage starts at about 45-50 degrees.

Still, I'd agree with clipping the spike just below the first flower, though I think a spike is as likely to branch and rebloom without being cut. Unless you have really good air flow around your plants you should cut way back on the misting, too.

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[Neworchidowner12]

Thank you for all of your responses! I live in California, so I'm not sure the cold is the most likely culprit. My house tends to be 64-70 degrees in the winter. I keep the orchid in an eastern facing window (as was recommended to me), so I suppose it could be a little colder there than the indoor air temperature.

I have stopped the misting and tried cutting the spike and sprinkling with cinnamon as suggested, and unfortunately the spike turned a bit black again below where I cut it, and the flowers continued to fall off, so it looks like I will have to clip the spike all the way back and hope for the best.

As to how the roots look, the exposed ones look pretty dry from what I can tell. They are white and pale green. The ones below the surface don't seem to be rotten.

Here is a picture, but it's kind of hard to see:



I'm just wondering how I can best care for it going forward as it seems like whatever I'm doing is not working so well.

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[estación seca]

If it's close to the glass it can be almost as cold as outside unless you have double-pane windows.