[journorchid]

One of my rescue (clearance, big-box) phals is failing to thrive to such an extent that I fear it may be lost for good. I have been doing everything I can for it (I think) because I love its two small yellow flowers, but the thing has been progressively cut back and cut back and nothing seems to have worked.

=When I brought it home, I cut off the dead/rotted roots and repotted it in a medium bark mix (yeah, the overly coarse stuff they have at the big-box). I also eventually cut off one of the spikes, since it only had one bud and I wanted to let the plant 'focus its energy.'

=I tried to water it sparingly after the move, skewer method, etc.

=I pushed back the potting mix to see how it was doing rerooting and noticed two (bad) things: the couple remaining roots had rotted, and there was a white fuzzy patch at the bottom of the rhyzome (like what you'd see with a mealybug, but I've never had mealybugs below the surface before).

So, to the gurus: What's my best chance of saving this plant, if there is any? There seem to be no good taproots left, but the foliage is OK (tho a bit droopy for my taste)?

Should I soak it in something? Superthrive? Physan? Dynagro?

Just help -- I don't want to be a murderer, but the way things are going...


Thanks

Dan