Mold prone phal at a stalemate

[aqualady]

One of my phals has recently been prone to mold growing in the orchid medium. It's kind of long, stringy mold that is grey in color, and makes the pieces of bark appear fuzzy - I don't think it's snow mold. I haven't taken a picture of the mold itself, because every time I see it, I want to get rid of it immediately. This is probably the third time the mold has come back. I repotted all of my plants to a Classic Orchid mix from Repotme.com, and haven't had mold problems with any other plants. I took it out of the medium this morning and trimmed a few rotted roots, but it appears as if there's still a good root system in place. However, the roots are not as plump and green like the roots of my other phals, and there doesn't seem to be any active growth with the plant.
It grew a beautiful new leaf about 6 months ago, which was as large as the previous leaf. I'd like to kickstart the growth again - should I try a rooting hormone or just keep fertilizing and watering as normal? I've also used Superthrive a few times and was thinking that another dose of that might help. I guess I'm just surprised that none of the other plants have this problem, and am wondering if it's a problem with the plant or the media? I'm trying to maintain good air circulation in the room with a fan.

I've attached a couple of pictures of the plant and would love any opinions/advice, thanks!

[orchidsarefun]

as a last resort against fungus, I would use Physan 20. I use it carefully as a general preventive every 2 months.
If you do decide to use it, do not use in conjunction with any fertiliser ( or any other additive ) as it gloops together with the fertiliser making an unpleasant looking mess.


Physan 20 Home

[Ray]

If that is your only plant, you might not want to invest in a bottle of Physan (I agree it is a great product, though), so you may use liquid chlorine bleach.

Mix 2 tablespoons in a gallon of water, and thoroughly douse the plant and medium.

Wait 10 minutes, and flush with plain water.

[naoki]

Are you sure it is some pathogenic fungi to plants? I have seen some white fungi on some bark (similar to fungi on old bread), but it doesn't do any harm, and they usually disappear soon if I don't keep it too humid. Fungi and microbes are everywhere, you just have to respond quickly when they harm plants.

[Bud]

Thanks for the tip, Ray !

I have also problems with algae and fungi/mold .... it doesnt kill the plant but its nasty looking, smells bad and discolors the roots and leaves(its like skin disease and blemishes)....I want happy healthy plants....

[aqualady]

Thank you all for your responses... I agree with Bud: I want happy and healthy plants!

It's been about 2 weeks since I repotted the plant and it seems to be doing okay. I have not used any Physan or bleach as of yet - I did use hydrogen peroxide on it a few times before repotting. No new signs of mold yet, but no signs of growth either. I'm just thankful that the plant is doing the same and not declining :-D

I'll update if anything changes...

[Stray59]

By your description I wonder if you have a mildew issue? It can look like mold and can wreck havoc on root systems. Your plant will most likely respond well to the new medium. I have had mold and mildew problems on my pots and medium in the past. Two things I have used successfully are: make sure the pots and potting medium are sterilized well - on plastic pots I use bleach and rinse well, on non-glazed ceramic, I soak the cleaned pots in water until they stop bubbling and then microwave them for two or three minutes then let cool and use. Damp medium can also be microwaved hot enough to kill microbes.
The other thing that works for me is copper soap. Relatively cheap if you shop around and it has cleared all my mildew - mold issues!