I have been raising about 6 phals for a couple of years now. I was shocked
to see today that one of the phals lost a few leaves and has a rotted crown.
I have been careful not to water the crown. The plant is in a bark mixture.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. By the way, I think all of you orchid
people are great!!
Gail

Gail,

My understanding is that if it has a rotted crown then this plant cannot be
saved. If the plant has special meaning to you and cannot be easily
replaced, then your best hope for this plant is to hope for a basal
keikie -- a new plant growing from the side. But this plant cannot grow any
more if it has no crown. If the plant has no special meaning, then it is
better to toss it at this point. If you don't want to do that, at least
separate it from the others, so that if it has something that can spread,
the other plants will not be affected. Examine all your orchids for pests
under the leaves, just in case the rot is due to the orchid being weakened
by a pest.

At this point you may want to re-examine your conditions to ensure that the
other orchids are not in danger of rot.

Where are the orchids located? What is the humidity level? What is the light
level? Is the air movement good enough? (Too much humidity, too little
light, and too little air movement will lead to rot.) What about the
temperature? Rot is more likely if the temperature is lower.

Could it be that you overwatered this orchid (watered it too often)? Have
you been adjusting your watering based on how often the plant needs to be
watered -- which may vary depending on seasonal fluctuations? Do you know
how to tell when the orchid needs to be watered in the medium that it grows
in? If you water orchids based on a strict unvarying schedule (for example
once a week), rot is more likely to occur if at this time the schedule
results in too frequent watering.

Is this an orchid that flowered for a long time recently? Flowering can
exhaust a plant's energy. Phals can flower themselves to death. Whenever I
have a Phal with a flowering spike loosing more than one leaf and not
growing a new one, I tend to cut off the flowering spike to give the plant a
rest.

Are you _sure_ that no water got in the crown? When I water my Phals, I tend
to have paper towels nearby just in case, since some water may get on the
leaves even when one is careful. When do you water your Phals? Do you water
them in the morning or in the evening? Watering in the evening is more
risky, since if water does get on the leaves, the plant does not have time
to dry out before the night.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your other Phals.
Joanna

"Gail" wrote in message
news
I have been raising about 6 phals for a couple of years now. I was shocked
to see today that one of the phals lost a few leaves and has a rotted
crown.
I have been careful not to water the crown. The plant is in a bark
mixture.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. By the way, I think all of you orchid
people are great!!
Gail

Hi, Gail,

When did you last repot?

Diana

Thanks, Joanna.
Gail
"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:Rg0Ne.20795$Rp5.2448@trnddc03...
Gail,

My understanding is that if it has a rotted crown then this plant cannot
be
saved. If the plant has special meaning to you and cannot be easily
replaced, then your best hope for this plant is to hope for a basal
keikie -- a new plant growing from the side. But this plant cannot grow
any
more if it has no crown. If the plant has no special meaning, then it is
better to toss it at this point. If you don't want to do that, at least
separate it from the others, so that if it has something that can spread,
the other plants will not be affected. Examine all your orchids for pests
under the leaves, just in case the rot is due to the orchid being weakened
by a pest.

At this point you may want to re-examine your conditions to ensure that
the
other orchids are not in danger of rot.

Where are the orchids located? What is the humidity level? What is the
light
level? Is the air movement good enough? (Too much humidity, too little
light, and too little air movement will lead to rot.) What about the
temperature? Rot is more likely if the temperature is lower.

Could it be that you overwatered this orchid (watered it too often)? Have
you been adjusting your watering based on how often the plant needs to be
watered -- which may vary depending on seasonal fluctuations? Do you know
how to tell when the orchid needs to be watered in the medium that it
grows
in? If you water orchids based on a strict unvarying schedule (for example
once a week), rot is more likely to occur if at this time the schedule
results in too frequent watering.

Is this an orchid that flowered for a long time recently? Flowering can
exhaust a plant's energy. Phals can flower themselves to death. Whenever I
have a Phal with a flowering spike loosing more than one leaf and not
growing a new one, I tend to cut off the flowering spike to give the plant
a
rest.

Are you _sure_ that no water got in the crown? When I water my Phals, I
tend
to have paper towels nearby just in case, since some water may get on the
leaves even when one is careful. When do you water your Phals? Do you
water
them in the morning or in the evening? Watering in the evening is more
risky, since if water does get on the leaves, the plant does not have time
to dry out before the night.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your other Phals.
Joanna

"Gail" wrote in message
news
I have been raising about 6 phals for a couple of years now. I was
shocked
to see today that one of the phals lost a few leaves and has a rotted
crown.
I have been careful not to water the crown. The plant is in a bark
mixture.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. By the way, I think all of you orchid
people are great!!
Gail

Diana: I haven't repotted this phal yet since I got it not too long ago.
Gail
"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
news
Hi, Gail,

When did you last repot?

Diana

Diana: I haven't repotted this phal yet since I got it not too long ago.

Okay. I didn't realize it was a recent acquisition. In any event, it sounds
like you have terminal crown rot, as Joanna explained. I hate to sound
negative, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope for this one. Do isolate it
from your other plants if you are going to keep it in case of a keike.

Personally, I'd pull it out of the pot to see if it has any roots, too. If
there is any sign of new green growth anywhere, I would mount it and water
it every day. Just my 2 cents.

Diana