Please HELP!!! White Mold in Newly Repotted Plants

[Miadunn]

Hello All! I recently repotted 3 Phals in new medium and pots from RePotMe. Now I am noticing that there is a white fuzzy mold on some of the roots!!! It isn't covering the entire plant just some of the exposed roots I can see.

I started with one Orchid last year and it recently put out a Keiki which is now spiking. So my intentions were to order new supplies, since there isn't much available here, and repot. In the meantime, I rescued 2 more Phals from Home Depot that were potted in the same container. So I went ahead and repotted all three in seperate containers that consisted of a net pot with a clear plastic outer pot (Dual Oxygen Pot). The medium I used was the Imperial Phal Monterey Orchid Mix which is made with:

•AAA New Zealand Sphagnum Moss
•Medium Orchiata™ Monterey Bark
•Medium Hydroton
•Large Sponge Rock
•Medium Cork Nuggets

I soaked the mix in a mixture of Physan, Superthrive, and some weak fertilizer, which I then fluffed and dried while doing surgery on my plants.

I took all the old moss off the orchids and cut the dead looking roots with a sterile pair of clippers. I must note that on the Home Depot plants some of the roots in the middle of the moss ball were yellow and thin. I figured that these were just air deprived so I left them. I also left any roots that had green on them since some had green root tips but the middle was dead looking. I read on here that those were still good?? Then I soaked the plants in a new mixture of physan, superthrive, and fertilzer. I even wipped off some of the leaves with alcohol just in case there were bugs I didn't see. Then I repotted. That was the 15th and I hadn't watered since then bc I wanted to give the plant a lil time to adjust and besides the material was still a lil damp to touch. I think that it was probably still damp since I had soaked it before potting. Today, I took the netted pots out of the clear part and just set those on my humidity tray(not much water left in it) and put a box fan across the room on it... I also flushed them with the superthrive, physan mixture to see if that would help....

I should also note that the flowers on one were wilting so I just cut the stem off to give the plant all the energy it can get. The leaves were also looking kind of droopy

I tried reading on here about what to do for white mold... Should I unpot my plants and re-do it OR can I just treat it in the new mixture? I figured it was good potting mix since it was from Re-pot me so it must be my conditions?

I am a little confused what should be done. Some suggest listerine, alcohol, perioxide, physan??? Should I take the Superthrive out? Not sure if that helps the mold?

Please help me!!!! I thought I had took all the right steps to do this correctly, and I am going to be so sad if I kill these since this has become kind of an expensive begginers hobby! hahah

Sorry this is so long but didn't want to leave out any info that could help!!! I am at work now so I can't add pictures...

[en3rmax]

I've had this from time to time with my phals that were potted in bark the problem for me seemed the be my orchids were not getting enough air flow so i gave them good air and it fixed the problem.

Your potting mix sounds really good quality so it could be the air flow.

When i repot i always seem to get the odd root that will go mushy and a bit moldy even thought i've done my best to cut all the bad stuff away, it will take the plant a bit of time to get used to the new potting media.

[Im Just Saying]

I actually just had a similar issue with a phal I purchased recently. I noticed after this past weekend that I had some white patches on the underside of a root and on the side of the stalk. It was not on or in the media so I just applied hydrogen peroxide directly to the affected areas (Ray a fellow OB member suggested spraying this on before trying a treatment with cinnamon). It's been a couple of days since treatment and I haven't seen any new fuzz develop since.

With that being said I'm a total newbie to orchids so you may want to wait on feedback from the more experienced members before deciding on treatment.

[Miadunn]

Originally Posted by Im Just Saying

It was not on or in the media so I just applied hydrogen peroxide directly to the affected areas (Ray a fellow OB member suggested spraying this on before trying a treatment with cinnamon).

Thanks! So just apply the hydrogen peroxide with a cotton ball and then cinnamon or no cinnamon at all?

Also, could someone clarify why/when to use the Hydron Peroxide? I am trying to take notes on this stuff as I ask questions and read others posts. So far I have gathered that Listerine is used in the same way that Physan is for disinfecting. And Alcohol is good for wiping the leaves of when you have bugs.

Do I have that right?

[Im Just Saying]

Originally Posted by Miadunn

Thanks! So just apply the hydrogen peroxide with a cotton ball and then cinnamon or no cinnamon at all?

Also, could someone clarify why/when to use the Hydron Peroxide? I am trying to take notes on this stuff as I ask questions and read others posts. So far I have gathered that Listerine is used in the same way that Physan is for disinfecting. And Alcohol is good for wiping the leaves of when you have bugs.

Do I have that right?

Yep, I applied it with a q-tip, no cinnamon needed. Hopefully someone else can help explain why and/or when to use hydrogen peroxide.