Some questions about my phal

[Vrana]

I've had this little guy since January, and since he was my first ever orchid I made the typical ignorant mistakes many new orchid owners make. I very nearly killed the poor thing, but re-potted, removed all but about a half-dozen roots (the longest of which is maybe an inch long), and so far so good.

My question is about the flower spike. I know you're supposed to remove it with an ailing plant, but mine is a little weird. It has a single largish leaf growing off it, and what appears to be another starting just at the base. I figured I'd best leave it alone, but I just noticed a new bit of growth coming off the first node. Meanwhile, the tip turned black, and it seems to be spreading pretty quickly.

So now what? Should I cut it back more? I don't want it to bloom now (if that's what it is) as I'd rather it focus its energy on growing new roots. Also, the black worries me. It's spongy, and spreading fast. It seems similar to the black spot that appeared on one of the leaves soon after I got it that I had to cut back three times before it finally stopped spreading. I've read about using hydrogen peroxide to remove dead tissue. Would that be a better option than cutting it?

[WhiteRabbit]

I don't know if that spike is just dying back, or if it's something else.

If you are not wanting the plant to bloom due to the lack of roots, it would be best to cut off the spike, regardless.

Hydrogen peroxide won't remove dead tissue. It can be used topically on rot, but cutting away any infected tissue is probably more effective. Make sure you cut off past the infected area (cut into healthy area). Use sterile blades. If cutting more than one area, sterilize blades in between cuts (or use disposal razor blades) to avoid contamination of healthy tissue. You can dab ground cinnamon on the cuts. Do not use ground cinnamon on roots.

[Wild Orchid]

It might be a keiki - a baby Phal. The black tip looks like some bacterial rot, at least judging by the photo.
I'd cut off the spike to an inch above the leaf and let it be. If the spike deteriorates further, you can always cut it off completely.

Wonder what others would advise.

Lilia

[kevin1217]

Doesnt look like a keiki to me. More like a node on steroids!

[Vrana]

So I decided to go ahead and trim down the spike another couple inches, as advised, because the black had already spread down to the node in just a couple days. Figured it would be a good opportunity to check on the roots as well.

I turns out all those okay-looking sort-of-mushy but not quite as bad as the really dead roots rotted some more, and had gotten black and mushy too. So I trimmed them away and trimmed some more only to find more mushy black stuff. I stumbled upon this thread here:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...remaining.html

In the end I bit the bullet and cut away about half of the orchid's base The one thing that gives me a bit of hope (beyond the rather remarkable recovery seen in the thread above) is that I do have a couple healthy roots left. Anyway, I soaked the base in hydrogen peroxide, treated the wound with cinnamon, and plan to get some root hormone today. My plant is currently laying on a paper towel drying...

I have read good things about the sphag and bag method... bad things too. I do have on old 2 gallon fish tank I was thinking I could suspend the plant in over some wet gravel. It has a lid with holes in it. Would this keep my plant humid enough? Do I even need to do this since my phal does still have those couple good roots left?

I realize this is just a cheap NoID plant that could easily be replaced but... perhaps because he was my first attempt at keeping a plant in years, or because its totally my fault he's struggling, but I've grown rather attached to my ailing little mutant Any additional advice would be much appreciated.

---------- Post added at 03:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 PM ----------

Here's a picture of poor George. What's left of him anyway