Dry/hard black slow spreading necrosis on Phal Crown

[RosieC]

Well I don't hold out much hope for this Phal, but I wanted to know if anyone had seen anything like this before.

This started as a small spot, which I reported here back in september 2009 and no-one knew what it was.

The spot spread VERY slowly. It was only in about March that I noticed it had spread all arround the crown.

It is also dry... it has NEVER been mushy or soft, just this hard dry necrosis.

By May the top leaf had yellowed and died, in early june the leaf below that followed it. Now I don't think the two below that will last much longer. There is no crown left on the plant anyway.

I still keep watering this guy in the vain hope of a basil keiki, but I'm not expecting it. (I do have this plant quarantined).

Does anyone have ANY idea what might have happend to this Phal?

This is the spot that started arround September, sorry I don't have a clear pic of it then.


This is the crown now.


This is a piece that came out the top from between the very top leaf and the second leaf. You can see the necrosis all arround it.

[WhiteRabbit]

It looks like my phal that crown rotted earlier this year - the only mushiness I had noticed on mine was in the early stage at the base of the new leaf that was coming in. But, I'm certainly not an expert - I know others will chime in.

The good news - I did get a basal keiki on mine a couple months or so after the mother rotted away.

gl

[Eyebabe]

A site all too familiar to me
I am not patient enough to wait for a possible keiki when this happens
What I do is buy a new one to replace it

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by Eyebabe

A site all too familiar to me
I am not patient enough to wait for a possible keiki when this happens
What I do is buy a new one to replace it

hehe - totally understandable. I have had so much trouble growing Phals, tho usually I rot the roots. The one I crown rotted had actually been doing very well prior to the crown rot, and still had a pot full of good roots, so I decided to keep at it as long as the roots were good to see what might happen.

[johnblagg]

I had something very similar on the leaves of one of my catts this winter black crud looking stuff growing into the leaves and as you said hard and dry ...I tossed that one in the burn barrel and gave it last rights before it could get in any others

[RosieC]

It just didn't seem like rot because there was never any mushiness (that I noticed) and it just seemed to be this spreading black spot over 6 months or more.

Anyway, I guess that is what it must be. Problem is I didn't realise it was spreading for a long time because it was so slow.

I'm already looking for new one with similar flower colours... I just never throw one out until it's really, really dead.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by johnblagg

I had something very similar on the leaves of one of my catts this winter black crud looking stuff growing into the leaves and as you said hard and dry ...I tossed that one in the burn barrel and gave it last rights before it could get in any others

I was worried about it getting the others, which is why it's been in a room with no other orchids from months.

Well I'm glad I'm not the only person to see this dry type of rot.

I've been keeping any eye on the others ever since I first saw it and there is no sign on them, which is one good thing.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by RosieC

It just didn't seem like rot because there was never any mushiness (that I noticed) and it just seemed to be this spreading black spot over 6 months or more.

Anyway, I guess that is what it must be. Problem is I didn't realise it was spreading for a long time because it was so slow.

I'm already looking for new one with similar flower colours... I just never throw one out until it's really, really dead.

I will say - mine went pretty fast with the rot - so may be something different. The end result looks much the same tho.

[johnblagg]

Mine actually looked more fungal and made back crusty areas in the v of the leaf on this catt and would appear in the new leaf at the same place....and it was very dry and hard.

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by johnblagg

I had something very similar on the leaves of one of my catts this winter black crud looking stuff growing into the leaves and as you said hard and dry ...I tossed that one in the burn barrel and gave it last rights before it could get in any others

This is actually a different infection than crown rot on a phal...without looking at my cheat sheets I'm going to say crown rot is pseudomonas which is pretty contagious but treatable in that you can knock out the infection and keep the plant to wait for a keiki. (Phyton 27). Nothing to remove, just treat and wait.
Black rot of a catt is a highly contagious fungal infection which is very lethal, easily spreads to other plants and difficult to treat...pythium...I'm thinking is the usual organism. Very few products kill this bug (Subdue Maxx $$) and you must quickly with a sterile razor remove the diseased tissue etc.
These may behave similarly, but they are very different bugs with different consequences and treatment.