Stalk has gone black!!

[alexclarke]

Help! Last week my Orchid had new flowers and looked in good health.
First the flowers dropped off and now the main stalk has gone brown/black and there are only a few sorry looking flowers left. Is it dead? The base looks normal - or as it looked when the plant was healthy....

Any ideas on how to treat or is it to go in the composter?

[janet_a]

if the rest of the plant is green and healthy, you're ok. keep it and it may rebloom for you.

what kind is it?

[alexclarke]

Not sure about which plant it is.

One of its leaves has gone yellow.... It's got to the end of the weekend before it goes!! I'll have a good look tonight.

[jerrymeola]

There are big differences between brown, black and yellow as an indicator to the health of the plant.

The yellowing leaf is a normal aging and death pattern for a leaf. Black especially if it starts at the base of the leaf at the top of the pseudobulb is too often an indicator of bacterial rot often called by beginners as root rot (although it can be from other causes). I have a bare root plant with bacterial root. Over watering is not the problem but failure to be able to dry due to overcast sky's is.

The heavy rains on the east coast this past month have been horrible for outdoor orchids here in Florida. The high rainfall levels, lack of sun and reduce air circulation is a perfect growing situation for bacterial rot. Once started it is difficult to control as it is spread by touch, yours or insects, plants touching each other on a bench or sometimes air borne.

I was out of town for three weeks when the rains started and returned to a bad infection. You will not normally hear commercial growers admitting to problems but we all fight this every year. (crowded growing conditions in a commercial greenhouse adds to the problems).

I point it out as everyone should be watching for problems when rain increases and sky's are overcast more than normal. For indoor growers the rains are not a problem but reduced light requires less watering. More air circulation is always good for general health.

If you only have a few plants, rot can be treated by wiping with alcohol or peroxide. It it is more advanced cut the leaf and/or the pseudobulb off. It spreads fast.