Desperate to save mature Phal orchid

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Ellzeena

TY so very much! I only sprayed the hyd. peroxide on the rhyzome since there were thrips and fungus. I did cut the rhyzome back since it was obviously impaired, but there is still some left. I have it in sphagnum moss, its normal medium, and the new leaf is just as YOU described only much more than 1 inch. It is getting a curl in it. It is in its usual window and I am watering it normally even though there are no roots in the medium. Its air root is strong and it is developing what look like air roots along the stem line, three of them.

It's impossible to photograph this, I don't have the equipment to get that close. My other orchids are doing fine, growing new leaves. This orchid almost succumbed and that would have broken my heart but at this point, as you said, it is what it is, I've done all I can. So I am going to continue doing this and see what happens. I am sort of resigned to probably losing this plant but you never know.

As for years: I don't know if I have years, with this horrible virus around, but I'd like the orchid to survive. Thank you so very much for your post. Having had the exact same experience, you zeroed right in on what you did! TY again!

Now I'm really confused... You say you didn't get H2O2 on the roots, but only the rhizome. What do you mean by rhizome?? Phals don't have rhizomes, so I've been assuming that you meant the bit of old stem in the pot/below the bottom leaves that develops as the plant grows and sheds leaves. So when you say you only sprayed the rhizome (but not roots) and cut the rhizome back, I'm starting to think that you cut off the crown of the plant.

And please post a photo. It really doesn't matter if you can't get a close up photo with your phone/tablet. ANY photo will do at this point. Stand 5ft away if you have to and take a photo. Just give us something to work with. If we can at least see the general plant condition it will help immensely. Without a photo you are not going to get much more specific help than you already got unfortunately. If the problem is that you don't know how to post a photo, don't be afraid to ask, a lot of people have trouble with it the first time.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Now I'm really confused... You say you didn't get H2O2 on the roots, but only the rhizome. What do you mean by rhizome?? Phals don't have rhizomes, so I've been assuming that you meant the bit of old stem in the pot/below the bottom leaves that develops as the plant grows and sheds leaves. So when you say you only sprayed the rhizome (but not roots) and cut the rhizome back, I'm starting to think that you cut off the crown of the plant.

And please post a photo. It really doesn't matter if you can't get a close up photo with your phone/tablet. ANY photo will do at this point. Stand 5ft away if you have to and take a photo. Just give us something to work with. If we can at least see the general plant condition it will help immensely. Without a photo you are not going to get much more specific help than you already got unfortunately. If the problem is that you don't know how to post a photo, don't be afraid to ask, a lot of people have trouble with it the first time.

I think everybody is confused. She doesn't know the proper terms for the various parts of an Orchid plant, which is understandable if she is new to the hobby, and there's nothing wrong with that, she will learn over time. All of us needed time to familiarize ourselves with the proper terms for the structures that make up an orchid. But without knowing the proper language to describe the problem, and without a picture for us to see, it is impossible to provide any meaningful advice.