Phal w/Fusarium balls and miniscule beetles, what to do?

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by estación seca

The moss looks old. That is why some (not all) of the roots look in poor shape. Most commercial hybrids are brought to market with flowers about the time the moss has had it, and it's time to repot. So I would repot now. Repotting a Phal in flower rarely affects the flowers.

If you're experienced growing Phals in sphagnum moss, then keep using it. If you're not, you might find growing in large bark chunks easier. I like semi-hydroponics for Phals, but switching to that requires some study first.

Here is a good thread:
The Phal abuse ends here.

Thanks. I have no experience with growing in moss. (and almost as much experience growing in bark, but that's my plan). Thanks, I have been going through that thread already. It's a great read. I will be getting rid of the moss today and repotting in bark.

Originally Posted by Roberta

I doubt very much that the plant has fusarium... it seems to be a "diagnosis" that came from a YouTube video...

No, the diagnosis came from my thread that you responded to in the Pest forum and the following thread and sweetjblue: Orange balls/bugs on phal's rotting roots?
There is a broken link to this PDF http://www.orchidsocietynsw.com.au/D...se_Control.pdf that does appear to show what I found (page 28) in much more limited quantities than in the photos.

As for the bugs, all that plant needs, I think is to be repotted into clean media (i'd suggest bark rather than sphagnum) Be careful so that you don't bang up the flowers, and the blooms should be fine. Soak it well so that the moss can be disentangled from the roots more easily but if you can't get it all, leave it - just wash well to remove bugs and whatever else is in there. Bark will dry out faster than the old broken-down sphagnum so do check with wood skewer for dryness and water when it needs it - Phals love a wet-dry cycle.

That's great news. I'd heard that Phals drop their blooms at the drop of a hat which would be unfortunate. Hopefully, I can be careful enough with the root and flowers while repotting so I don't have a problem. I do have a larger clear pot with slots for air circulation and some orchiata bark.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Those orange balls may very well be a fruiting Fusarium, but...

Regardless of whether those are Fusarium in sexual stage or not, at this point, it is not too big a deal. The reason why is that that the area where those fruiting bodies are growing is on a portion of the roots that have already been compromised.

These photos demonstrate what I mean by the Fusarium not necessarily being the primary causal problem for an orchid's demise. Notice how much of the plant is not really affected by this fungus at this point. Fusarium was always there, it was just a matter of the plant's immune system being strong enough to deter the fungus from growing like crazy and overtaking the plant. If the plant declines further, (let's just say more of those roots get damaged and die), you will begin to see more and more of the effects of a Fusarium infection when it originally was not the initial cause of the problem. In this case, the initial cause of the problem was that the moss was going bad. The deteriorating potting media caused the start of some root problems. If left unattended to, increasing problems with the root system will eventually cause the plant's immune system to decline. When the plant's immune system cannot handle the pathogens in the growing environment that it would've normally been able to fend off if it wasn't stressed so badly, that's when the Fusarium will take over and eventually finish off the badly weakened plant.

Great, that's what I was hoping. The plant seems to me to be relatively healthy considering it's media. I just wanted to make sure that the "kill it with fire" reaction that I have seen often in reference to Fusarium is not really entirely warranted under all circumstances.

This Phal is easily salvageable.

That's what I wanted to hear.

There's no need to toss it out or cut it up because you see Fusarium balls growing. Fusarium or not, if you make it inhospitable for the Fusarium to grow, it will not grow well. When Fusarium is not growing under favorable conditions, it gives the plant's immune system a break and an opportunity to recover.

As was advised earlier, please change the potting media out for fresh media. Whether you choose to grow in moss is up to you as was said prior, (and I also tend to recommend using large grade bark for ease of usage), but that moss the plant's growing in now has got to go asap.

Other than possibly removing any dead roots, cleaning the existing roots and potting in new media, is there anything else that you and the rest of the folks recommend that I do when repotting. I know that you are against H2O2 being used. What about a fungicide, or something else? Let the roots dry for a bit before potting or leave them a little damp or....?

Quite honestly, entomology is not one of my hobbies. I do not know what species of beetle it is, nor do I know whether it is a beetle that eats plants or if it feeds on pest insects. All I can say regarding this animal is, if you change out the potting media to fresh media, you may not have to worry too much about it returning. The conditions that this insect may have found inviting may no longer exist if you do a potting media change.

When you change the moss, please try to do as little damage to the roots as possible to not set the plant back.

OK, direct question to the last comment. In the attached photo, the root circled in red is the root that has the dead looking spot and orange balls near the plant. But the part of the root that was in the pot looks, I think, pretty good. Since a large part of the root is plump and green, should I just leave it? Also, there are a couple of yellow outlines around other spots that don't look healthy that are in the middle of various roots. What should I do, leave the roots that have small bad spots? I would assume that if there's a root where the bottom couple of inches is bad, that should be removed (with sterilized scissors). I have also heard that the cinnamon thing is not for roots, but more for leaves stems.

So, if I'm going to try to salvage this guy, I want the benefit of everyones' experience on what to keep and what to get rid of if anything. "There's no need to cut it up." I'm assuming this is more a reference to how some folks immediately start dissecting their plants looking for purple rings if they suspect Fusarium or is it about getting rid of bad spots or the roots?

Thanks everyone for your time and advice.