Mini Phal stalk suddenly wilting, possible mildew, medium mushy--repot?

[fireflie]

I have a mini Phal with 2 blooming stalks. One wilted suddenly with all but one of the flowers falling off in a short time (less than 3 days).


I've been meaning to repot the plant which is in spagnum moss since the medium looks a bit mushy in places and a bit too compact.


The roots overall look healthy and greenish (I have a clear plastic pot) except for the top roots. Some are getting a strange white colored chalky covering and in parts are blackish. One root looks a bit dried out and is a light brownish/light yellow color.


Last week, I sprayed the top layer with a baking soda/water solution (1/4 tsp : 2 cups) because the white powder was worrying me. I also trimmed the top of the currently wilting stem (which grew from a trimmed node) because the original stem (above flowering stem) started wilting. What is the cause of the sudden wilting?

Also, should I repot? Or wait?

[jkofferdahl]

I would say that the medium is saturated. In your pics it looks really soggy.Repotting looks necessary.

What I'd do is cut off the one, wilting, stem. The plant can grow more, after all. Remove the plant from the material and allow the roots to dry just a bit. Trim off any which appear damaged, but be conservative about the trimming. Dip the roots into a weak solution of some sort of fungicide. Guessing from how the medium you are using looks you like to water, so use something less absorbent than moss. Bark or osmunda would be really good. Keep a close eye on the roots for a short while. If the leaves start to look wrinkled, give the plant a bit less light. Also, consider a bit of extra foliar watering/feeding and let the roots get a little more dry to encourage new root growth.

[fireflie]

I've repotted with bark and sphag moss top layer.

Thanks!

[Bird Song Farm]

Well, it certainly looks happier. Remember that just 'cause the moss on top is dry doesn't mean the bark is, so be careful watering and make sure no water sets in the attached(?) saucer.........empty after watering.
Good luck, it's a pretty phal !
Al

[lostonthebeach]

Last week, I sprayed the top layer with a baking soda/water solution (1/4 tsp : 2 cups) because the white powder was worrying me.

Baking soda is sodium = salt !!!
Phals are not usually very tolerant of salt in any form.
You might try something more gentle next time.
Great pictures. Thanks.
P.S. I love Korean movies.

[justatypn]

Your phal looks happy. Lost is correct, not so tolerant of sodium, but no harm done apparently from how your phal looks. In general the sphag moss is merely for looks but can be deceiving when watering so be careful.

[Ross]

:iagree: For now all seems fine, but watch the plant and flush it with pure water (RO, distilled or rain water) to be safe.