Strange colored mold in bark potting medium

[jsehorn]

My newly purchased and repotted Phal is doing quite well. The root system is in good shape, and like I said right after I got it, the growing tips of both of the spikes got a little cold damaged during shipping, but one of them has started to branch out from one of the lower nodes.

Interesytingly enough, I noticed today that just below the surface of the growing medium, there is what appears to be some kind of mold growing on the bark. I've never seen anything quite like it. The color is hard to describe. It's like a dark cobalt blue with just a little bit of teal, but it's not the same color as the mold that grows on bread or old oranges. I googled various types of mold, and didn't see anything that looks like it. It's a little fuzzy, so I'm sure it's not fertilizer salts.

I've never seen anything quite like it. I tried to take a picture, but none of them came out well enough that you can see anything. Does this sound familiar to anybody? I'm going to go ahead and treat it with a fungicide just to be sure, but I was wondering if anybody else has seen this.

I don't think I'm keeping the plant too wet, and I have great air circulation. Any thoughts?

[Ray]

I don't want this to seem like a doubt of your observations, but are you sure it's not a stain from some other treatment that you just noticed? For example, Phyton-27 is copper-based, and can leave such a coloration.

Blue is very unusual.

[jsehorn]

As I said, this particular coloration is something I have not observed before, so I'm entirely open to the possibility that I am way off course here. The thing is, since I got the plant last month, all I've given it is water and a weak fertilizer solution. I haven't treated it with any copper preparation.

Last night when I was trying to take a picture I was using my phone because the battery to my camera was dead. I'll try again today later when I have time with my digital camera, and hopefully I'll be able to get a decent picture to share.

[Ray]

One thing for sure, you've definitely caught my interest on this!

[jsehorn]

Well, I got my camera all charged up and I was ready to take a picture this morning, and I couldn't find it anymore! It was only growing in a small area, and I'm certain that I remember where it was, but it doesn't appear to be there anymore hahaha.

The best way I can describe it would be to say it looks like the mold that grows on old bread, but much more blue than gray.

The plant originally had come planted in pure sphagnum, which is a death sentence in my collection, but to help it adjust from moss to bark when I repotted, I top dressed the medium with sphagnum. My only thought is that maybe because of the sphagnum top dressing, not enough air was penetrating it and getting down into the pot, which resulted in favorable conditions for mold growth? When I noticed the mold, I worked the sphagnum into the bark mix, so now the plant has about 2 inches of a 50/50 moss/bark mix on top, and just bark below that, which should allow more air down into the roots, which should prevent mold growth of any kind.

We may never know exactly what it was. Either way, the plant is doing well and the roots are in great shape, so I suppose it's nothing to worry about (since not only is it not spreading, but seems to be completely gone), but it sure was interesting! In 15 years of growing orchids, I've never seen blue mold growing in a pot, and like I said, I could be totally wrong about it even being mold at all, but it sure did look like mold. Maybe I completely hallucinated it, but I find that unlikely!

Anyway, that's all I've got haha!

[katrina]

Originally Posted by jsehorn

... Maybe I completely hallucinated it, but I find that unlikely!

What were you drinking New Year's Eve?

[jsehorn]

Hahahah Katrina

I would say that was a possibility, but I was at home studying for my Latin and Chemistry OSATs I have to take to be able to teach those subjects next year. I know, it's lame, but I can go out and get viciously tanked any night of the year. I'd rather do it on a night when there are fewer drunks on the roads haha