HElp!!! I have crown rot! :(

[morphiii]

To my horror, I found out that one of my big healthy phal. has crown rot!!

Just when I figure out the root rot thing. sigh!

The top 3 leaves have become mushy and when I pulled it, they came off easily.

Now there is a big hole in the middle of the plant. What shall I do. Please help!!


Help!! help!!

I have a humidifier running next to the poor thing! I must have killed him!

[sandra]

I think, although not positive that this means extra space now in your growing area morphiii. I hope I'm wrong.

[Orchidflowerchild]

pour some peroxide in ad let it foam out the gross, then make sure to sprinkle with cinnamon or sulpher, then keep water out of the hole. It very well may still produce a new crown.

-Cj

[mayres]

It will be a long process, but with any luck your plant will develop a basal keiki so that it can once again grow - the original plant is done - the remaining leaves will live out their normal lifespan and then yellow and fall off. Here is a plant of mine that seems to have problems developing a new leaf from the crown (not from crown rot) - the same net effect in the end - it has just recently surfaced a basal keiki (not to be confused with a new flower spike).

[viper]

sorry but i think your plant is dead.

[pikevi]

I am sorry about your Phal, Morphiii.

I don't enough to comment on it.

But I have a Q in this context. Does water cause crown rot?

The reason I ask is that all my Phals ( about 35, I think) are currently outside and I hose them down every other day and since most of them are above eye-level I do not check if water stays in the crown. So far I have not seen any problems.

Am I waiting for a disaster to happen?

Thanks.

[fred]

pikevi

Water forms in the crown and can not escape that causes the problem

so the answer to your question is yes water can cause crown rot.

[pikevi]

Thanks fred.

I remember reading about that in one of the threads here. When the plants were inside I used take a straw and blow the water out of the crown ( when I had only 10 or so Phals!).

I assumed that when they are outside nature (wind and the sun) will take care of it.

I will take the step ladder and inspect them from above.

Thanks again.

[chefatplay]

Pikevi, if you are watering early enough in the day, the sun and wind will take care of the water left in the crown from the hose. It's only when the remaining water can't evaporate that you have problems.

[viper]

how would phalas survive in the wild with all the rain in the rain forests that they live in?

[morphiii]

I feel bad that I killed the wonderful plant. I returned it to Home Depot and get a new one.

I think my mistake was I had the humidifier blowing at the plant for a whole night and the water seem to have caused the rot.

But I am just wondering what causes the leaves to just go limp and mush like that.

It is like all the membrane on the leaves popped and the water just leaked out.

Horrible situation.

I hope it will never happen again.

[MariahK]

When the plants were inside I used take a straw and blow the water out of the crown ( when I had only 10 or so Phals!

LOL when I started and after killing a few I used to wipe the places that collected water witha paper towel "just in case" I think that is when my husband knew I had a problem!

[evagentry]

Don"t feel too bad, I think most of us have killed a few innocents also, just keep trying. eva

[mayres]

Pikevi - I also water all of my phals from the top - as you may have noted in a previous post - I just cram my bathtub with them and water tham all with a couple of gallons from a watering can. I make no effort whatsoever to clear the water from the crowns. You can imagine that nurseries that grow phals are also going to water all their plants in mass - so the crowns are definately going to get filled with water. The trick as also noted - do it early in the day and provide lots of air movement so that they will dry well - way before evening. mike

[phalaephila]

Originally Posted by viper

how would phalas survive in the wild with all the rain in the rain forests that they live in?

My understanding is that most phals in the wild are not quite upright as we like to grow them; they grow sideways so rainwater drains from the crown. There are folks that grow them mounted or with side hanging pots to replicate this method of growing.

Jeanne

[Orchidflowerchild]

Originally Posted by phalaephila

My understanding is that most phals in the wild are not quite upright as we like to grow them; they grow sideways so rainwater drains from the crown. There are folks that grow them mounted or with side hanging pots to replicate this method of growing.

Jeanne

I used to slap them on a mount upside down, and they would grow out and slighty up, basically coming off at a 90 degree angle. Even if you mount them going up, they lean out and let their leaves spread and cascade. FLowers are usually held in a graceful arch from the plant, as opposed to the upright spikes we like in a pot. Phal. equestris is sortof an exception, as it pretty much grows upright. But then, it's also a lot smaller and has less crown area to fill in with water...

Phals. stuartiana, phillipinense, and schilleriana were favourites of mine, mounted.

-Cj

[tizzycat]

I''m paranoid about water getting into the crowns and use a cotton bud to soak up any that gets in there. (all my plants are indoors)

[morphiii]

Well another sad news, the other Phal. that I had next to the big white one is showing similar symptoms.

What the hell? The leaf is weak in the crown and when I pull on it, off it comes.

I killed this one too!!

They should put me in orchid death row for all the plants that I have killed.

I think I have murdered 4 so far.

Unbelievable. I have to return this to the poor people of Home Depot and hope to get new one.

Sigh!

[chefatplay]

It's okay, Morphii. It has been mentioned numerous times on this forum that an expert is an orchid lover that has killed many orchids. See, this is a learning curve for you. You will never water your orchids and not pay attention to the water in the crown, or, as you mentioned, leave the humidifier blowing on them.

I had to learn the hard way to always check the roots, no matter where you buy your orchids.

We still love you.

[janet_a]

Originally Posted by morphiii

Well another sad news, the other Phal. that I had next to the big white one is showing similar symptoms.

What the hell? The leaf is weak in the crown and when I pull on it, off it comes.

i still think there is a question as to whether it's a bacteria or a fungus that couses CR, but as you have just found out, it spreads.

the first thing to do when you find CR is immediately isolate the affected plant. i know people who then spray down the growing area and all the nearby plants with a fungicide to try and nip any spread in the bud.

condolences, but sometimes this stuff happens. i was at my local (fairly good) nursery a few weeks ago looking at the 'chids, and came around the bench to find a baldan's kaleidoscope just disintegrating from some sort of rot. no way would i buy a plant from anywhere in that greenhouse. (i snagged a one of the nursery dudes and mentioned he might want to spray the bench down with physan 20 but i don't know if he did it or not.)

[jay]

Janet,

Even though it has happened to the plant right next to the previous one with rot, does not mean it spread. It could be that the two plants both experience the exact same conditions that in fact contributed to the crown rot.

I am not saying that it did not spread, but it could be other reasons that the other plant got crown rot.


jay