Phalaenopsis and mushroom fungus

[Jessir57]

Hi all!! I am a little worried because I bought this orchid about 2 weeks ago and realized now the bark has mushroom fungus. I know the bark is probably broken down and I need to repot but the flowers are still bloomed and the leaves are doing great. One of them dropped already though. Should I wait for the flowers to fall on their own or should I cut them off and repot immediately. How much damage can this fungus cause to the orchid? See pictures attached
Any ideas will be appreciated! Thank you.

[Optimist]

If you re-pot the right way, you will probably not have problems with the mushrooms. They like the breakdown products of that bark mix. The fact is that you can re-pot a phal when the flowers are out like that. The only time you should not re-pot is when the spike has little unopened buds. Re-potting means you need to water more because the bark is harder, not spongey, and so the water rolls off quicker. This is what you want, actually. If you want to go get some lecca, (pet store, some gardening stores) you can re-pot in that and never worry about critters getting in your broken down potting bark ever again. (Sometimes you do get a bit of algae.) Although lecca (or lava rock) are used in semi-hydroponics, you can also use them to pot up plants. If it is too dry then you can add some chopped up Rockwool (or Sphagnum moss, or a handful of peat moss). If you have hard water, the Sphagnum moss is a better additive because it lowers ph.

So you can do either, no worries.

[greenpassion]

Jessir57, I have the exact same phal that I got from a grocery store as well. And THIS phal has really out performed it's self! It was in full bloom when I got it Feb of 2017, and also put out a second spike despite the first one still going strong.

When the first spike went by, the second one kept going, putting out a spike that has branches all the way up the main spike. This phal has been in flower very nearly ALL the time I've had it! Hope you have the same luck with it.

Oh, and oddly enough, I remember seeing tiny white mushrooms in the mix as well. I repotted, and problem solved.

[Jessir57]

Thank you. I just repotted it and did not cut of the flowers. Hope she stays strong. Thanks again for your help.

[Watertiger]

Just discovered the same in the bark of one phal - small white mushrooms sprouting. Will repot despite the remaining flowers. Came across a diy fungicide consisting of a cinnamon infusion to be sprayed on (boil 1 liter of water, add 2 tbsp of cinnamon powder, steep for up to 48 hours, strain, spray). Is this necessary/effective? Does anyone has an opinion on that?

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Watertiger

Just discovered the same in the bark of one phal - small white mushrooms sprouting. Will repot despite the remaining flowers. Came across a diy fungicide consisting of a cinnamon infusion to be sprayed on (boil 1 liter of water, add 2 tbsp of cinnamon powder, steep for up to 48 hours, strain, spray). Is this necessary/effective? Does anyone has an opinion on that?

No to any cinnamon-based fungus treatment that can contact roots. If it doesn't kill them, it will very likely injure them. It might be ok on leaves; try it on a leaf or two to see what happens before using on a whole plant.

The mushrooms themselves are likely to be harmless. They are a sign that either the bark is being kept too wet, or the bark is breaking down, and it may be time to re-pot soon. I see mushrooms occasionally in potted orchids, I usually just make a mental note that the next time the plant is in the right growth stage to re-pot, I need to go ahead and get it done.