aaaah! white fuzz on skewers!

[journorchid]

Dear Orchid Gurus:

You know I am doing my level best here. I haven't bought overly ambitious plants (except for those gift seedlings), I've been inquisitive about light conditions and humidity and so on, I've set aside an entire room for the orchid babies, and now this:

I pull out my watering skewers on one of my phals and my onc. alliance to see definite WHITE FUZZ all over them. What could this be? It doesn't look web-like, and doesn't look much like mealybug stuff either. It look a heck a lot like the penicillium molds that would infect your month-old lemons if you left them in a moist, dark corner.

I should mention that I've recently found a way to raise the humidity in my orchid room (it was bone dry on my meter despite a humidifier and pebble trays) to an acceptable if not ideal 35-52% depending on the time of day. White fuzz seems to like this. Should mention also that I have been fighting a battle with hard minerals in my water. I should say also that I have plenty of Physan 20 should that be necessary.

These plants have not been in the best shape, but I have been trying oh so hard. Please tell me what to do about the situation. I don't want all this effort to be for naught.

I quiver before you

Dan

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If it is a little crispy, maybe hard water deposits? If soft and rubs off, probably mold. I had a problem with very black fungus. Checked with a biologist friend and he said that the fungi like the wood of the stick, no problem for the plant. I now bleach the sticks if I see a lot of discoloration. Ten % bleach works fine.

[journorchid]

Cynthia:

You are, as always, a lifesaver.

To paraphrase (and confirm that I understand): I do still have hard water, and still don't know how to solve that problem (all r/o systems seem complicated and expensive; other systems don't deal with all that calcium), but the fuzz is not calcium. It is mold.

Do I understand you correctly? Is this white mold that loves my skewers harmless to the marginal root systems of my orchids?

Many thanks

Dan

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Probably not a problem.

[greg_s]

I have found white or black fuzzy mold on my skewers from time to time too. I usually take that as a sign to change the skewer. Hasn't proven to be much of a problem for me.

[winky]

What you are seeing is the mycellium of mold that is breaking down the wood in the skewer. Wood is an organic substance and will rot just like anything else and the molds help it rot.
I don't think that the mold that feeds on wood is likely to hurt your orchid but the rotting wood will probably hold water better than unrotted wood. I'd break off the bottom of the skewer or get new ones.

[journorchid]

But the skewers are almost brand new! I took maybe four days before the mold developed. That's what got me so antsy... you'd think the whole "breaking down the wood" situation would be slower-going in a healthy medium situation.

This kind of falls in the when to repot category: They plants in question are all recently repotted, but I'd rather have them in something else -- finer bark or semi-hydro. but for now, skewer it is. I'll probably be posting again soon with concerns about one of my phals that after seeming health (new leaves, etc) for sometime has suddenly gone all droopy, with the two main leaves almost leathery and lifeless. The new leaves seem OK, if purple. And there is a limited but extant root system. Cut off the spike maybe a month ago. Well... Maybe someone will end up commenting here, but otherwise I'll tent it and watch for a week before posting.

I want so much not to be a plant-killer....

Dan

[winky]

OK, weird. I agree mold should not be developing on new wood. Four days is way too short a period for mold to even reach the stage where you can see the mycellium. Must be something else.
Not commenting on your phaleanopsis. I've had them do the same thing.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Maybe these particular skewers have something in or on them that is particularly taste to mold. You might want to soak the skewers in the bleach solution before using and see how long they last. Sort of adding protection to the skewers.