White hairlike fuzz (it's not mealybugs) on den canes

[KatieM]

Originally Posted by MateoinLosAngeles

I personally think that Physan is much more harmless and effective as a general disinfectant than peroxide. Drugstore hydrogen peroxide is really damaging to roots.

Have you looked at this Cinnamon DIY spray? Home Remedies › First Rays LLC

I've used it and works well for me for minor things such as those white fuzzies.

Now, your plant is a deciduous plant, which means it will drop its leafs and it's in a resting period. The sheaths are safe to remove if they're dry, it can arguably be recommended.

But I think the main thing here is that if you received a plant in poor condition, then repotted it, then repotted it again, it's just going from stressor to stressor which can really stifle its recovery. Finally, you can do more research on live moss, but being alive the moss will compete with the orchid for resources, further hampering its recovery. And also, won't live moss constantly stay wet or otherwise it will die too? My understanding is that most Dendrobiums will need some sort of dry rest at some point of the year. And I believe yours is one of them. How will you let it dry if the moss is alive? And if it's resting, how is it supposed to adapt to new potting media?

I think you should reconsider the culture of this plant.

I am super intrigued in the cinnamon mixture. I will absolutely be doing this. Thank you very much! These are all very interesting points to consider. I've done several experiments with live Moss over the years. You have to leave it very loose so that the plants can still get the air circulation. You only mist the top occasionally actually less often than I need to water a normal bark mixture to keep it alive. It has saved some rescue phals the people have given me including rootless and crown rot but to your point it may not be for this type of orchid particularly because it's a dendrobium. Yes I am thinking more and more peeling off the sheaths is a good thing. I did do that and it seems much happier. Yess good point on the repotting twice. I was afraid the mix was infected. I'll keep y'all posted on what works and what doesn't. Thanks again for all of the feedback and advice!

---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:21 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

With the fresh medium, you won't have to worry about fungus - you already mentioned that you had removed the bad, rotted growths, potted it up in fresh medium. Now it should be fine. Don't rush to "treat" unless you see a problem. And then any treatment should be tailored to what you are treating. No "shotgun" stuff.

Well said. Just needs to rest and recover.