Crown rot or old age?

[Edwin Reffell]

Though my white Phaleonopsis is thriving and has last week developed 3 new buds it has a leaf which is going yellow. I have let it stand in water a few minutes to soak up water and get heavy as it stands on a table near a window facing south with brilliant sunshine several hours a day. Now I am afraid it may have got crown/root rot as a result. How do I know if it is natural aging or root rot? From now on I am going to pour water over the bark mixture taking care not to let any get to the base of the plant and let it all run through as in nature the orchid never stands in water but gets rained on and all the rain runs off immediately.

[Abbie9]

It looks like crown rot to me. I have never heard of a plant starting to rot or blacken as it gets older, and this one here doesn't look to be that old anyway. Orchids, with proper care and conditions, can potentially live indefinitely.

You never want any water to collect in the top of the plant and sit there, even from misting, unless there is a constant air stream going over the plant that will allow for quick evaporation. I would go ahead and remove that yellow leaf and try to care for the orchid like normal (without the soaking). Also I'd put some powdered cinnamon on the area where the leaf is removed from the plant to try to prevent any other type of contamination.

I don't personally know of any types of "fixes" for crown rot, other than changing your watering behavior. There are several threads on the subject of crown rot that might provide some more helpful information.

-Abbie

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[silken]

If this is getting rained on, that is likely how water is getting into the crown. In nature these do not grow upright so rain isn't an issue. They grow on trees and are usually flopped over and if anything, the underside of the leaves would get the wettest. Drainage would be no problem like that. However sitting upright in a pot, the center of the leaves (crown) is like a cup.

[Edwin Reffell]

When I removed the yellow leaf a green leaf came off too. I have covered the whole spot with cinnamon powder. Will that cure it or will it die? It now has 3 leaves. At most it had 5. Never again shall I steep any pot of orchid in a bowl of water. Instead I shall pour water over the bark taking care not to let any touch the plant and after all the water has drained off I shall inspect the base of the orchid and make sure it is completely dry before I put the pot back in the outer pot. I hope no more leaves will yellow but if they do I shall cut them off immediately and cover the sore with cinnamon powder.

[Abbie9]

The orchid may pull through; there is no guarantee. It's hard to tell from the photos how far the crown rot has progressed. Just keep taking care of the plant like normal and cross your fingers. Good luck.