rot or normal lignification?

[seagull]

hey does darkening on the crown of a phal always mean rot? ive seen plants get brownish or yellow spots and be ok
a few of my phals have a little darkening near the very base, especially where roots jut out
ill hit them with peroxide in case it's rot

also, how do wild orchids not get crown rot when rained upon?

[estación seca]

Crown rot is usually noticed at the newest, inside leaf, and the crevice in the center of the rosett. It is common for dry black areas to appear on the outside of the stem.

Don't use peroxide anywhere near roots. It can kill them. The only time I would use peroxide on a Phal is if it indeed had crown rot, and the emerging leaf turned squishy and black. I would remove the squishy leaf and put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into the crown.

Phals in the wild grow with the axis of the plant horizontal, or even downward. The leaves hang downward. Spikes grow horizontally out from the branch they're growing on. Any water in the crown drains out quickly.

You can see the desire to grow sideways in older plants, and this is the reason a lot of people stake spikes upwards. Otherwise they grow sideways.

The former genus Doritis (now lumped into Phalaenopsis) has species with rigidly upright spikes, and the plant axis tends to be upright, as well. Former Doritaenopsis (Doritis x Phalaenopsis) hybrids are now just called Phals. A lot of them are upright plants. Doritis species tend to tolerate more heat and less humidity than some other Phals, and the brilliant purple coloring came from them.

[seagull]

thank you for that info. i will stop peroxiding mine then. saves on peroxide too cuz i brush my teeth with it

[estación seca]

Check with your dentist about that... some is used in gel form for bleaching teeth occasionally, but too much can weaken the enamel.