Possible spike rot?

[rothbard]

Hi All,

A few days ago I was given this orchid as a present. I had never had an orchid before, but I had a look on the internet and tried to take care of it as best as I could.

Today I noticed what seemed to be the first signs of stem or spike rot (see here, here and here). Is there any way to treat it at this stage, without cutting off the spike? As you can see from the pictures, the black spot goes all the way around the spike.

Should I still spray the orchid with water on a daily basis, or is it better to hold on till the rot is treated?

Thanks in advance.

[Ray]

Something has damaged the spike, and that has allowed an opening for an adventitious infection.

Coat the wound with cinnamon powder, and it may very well stop in its tracks and let you enjoys the flowers.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

The blue Phalaenopsis orchids are not natural. The stalks have been injected with blue dye. I suspect those spots are the puncture marks. Are you sure you didn't overlook them before?

What do you mean by spraying every day? The pot should be soaked, then allowed to dry before watering again. Spraying the foliage promotes fungus and is not a good idea.

In the Beginners forum here is a sticky thread devoted to growing Phals. In the left yellow menu click Forums then Beginners. Look near the top for The Phal Abuse Ends Here.

[Roberta]

I agree with ES that the spots you see are probably injection points for the dye. If the medium is soggy (old sphagnum moss, or even old bark) it would do no harm (and very likely do good) to repot in medium bark. Phals don't mind being repotted while in bloom, they do hate not getting air around their roots. Watering well and then letting it dry not only gives the roots the wet-dry cycle they love, but also pulls air into the root zone, which they need. Once it is repotted, it will need more frequent watering because it will dry out faster (highly desirable)

If it it is potted in sphagnum moss that has become cement-like around the roots, you can soak for an hour or two to soften it, making removal easier.

With care, this plant will survive and thrive, to bloom next year - when the flowers will likely be white, their natural color.

[rothbard]

Many thanks for your replies! I didn't know anything about orchids till a few days ago, so I looked at this site and similar ones which, in addition to watering also recommend spraying the plant and its areal roots with a fine mist twice a day.

Today I watered it for the first time by submerging it, as described here.

So for the moment I am not going to worry about the apparent rot spots. I didn't know about the dye.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rothbard

Many thanks for your replies! I didn't know anything about orchids till a few days ago, so I looked at this site and similar ones which, in addition to watering also recommend spraying the plant and its areal roots with a fine mist twice a day.

Today I watered it for the first time by submerging it, as described here.

So for the moment I am not going to worry about the apparent rot spots. I didn't know about the dye.

Concept is OK, but running water is even better. That site also recommends watering with ice... BAD BAD BAD... unless you can find ice at 20 deg C/68 deg F. These are tropical plants. They DO NOT like cold water! There is a lot of information on the 'net, but a lot of it is really awful and wrong.

There are several threads in the "sticky" section on Phalaenopsis culture. Check out The Phal abuse ends here.

[Dollythehun]

You can also cut the spike, dust the cut with cinnamon and put your flowers in a vase. They last a long time cut.

I agree with ES and Roberta, that is most likely an injection point.

[Roberta]

I see no point in cutting the spike... I really suspect the dark coloration is from the dye, not rot. (That one has really dark dye) The cut spike might last a couple of weeks, but on the plant, if it is OK (which I suspect it is) it can last several months. Watch the plant... if the dark ring spreads downward and looks like it is getting close to the rest of the plant, then might be best to cut (especially if soft, a sign of rot) but if it just sits there, it's an artifact of the dye process and is OK to just leave it.

But then, I'm inclined to not cut anything that isn't clearly a problem... one can always cut later, but once it is done, there's no going back if one was mistaken. My personal experience is that I have regretted cutting when it was the wrong thing to do more often than I have regretted not cutting when I should have.

[rothbard]

Thanks also for the information about the dye, I didn't know that blue wasn't the natural colour of the flowers. For now I am not going to cut the spikes. Do you think I should still put some cinnamon on the injection points?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rothbard

Do you think I should still put some cinnamon on the injection points?

I don't know if it makes a difference but it won't hurt anything so you might as well.