!Help! Phalaenopsis Orchid Leaves Turning Red/Brown!

[cooheyorchidman]

Hello, my fellow orchid growers! I am in dire need of someone with experience in regards to diagnosing Phalaenopsis Orchid possible bacterial/fungal/etc infections. If you can give me some information that may point me in a direction so that I may properly tend to this nasty illness my plant succumbed to that would be gnarly!

Here I will list general tidbits of information I've noticed in my orchid recently:

Roughly, a week ago I noticed a white fuzz growing on my medium near my Orchid roots after getting rid of the bugs in my medium that eat mold as my girl is allergic to them.

I tended to the root system with hydrogen peroxide (after finding out you shouldn't as it messes with the roots!), the white fuzz was gone after that and I haven't seen it since.

After this I noticed one of my leaf's had a red tinge going down the middle of it. With each passing day it seemed to get worse and worse.

I assume its a fungal infection, but after a quick google search none of the photos in regards to a fungal infection match up to my orchid. So I do not want to put it on an improper treatment leading to more stress which'll not help it fight off its illness, I bought a Copper Fungicide to possibly use to help my plant.

Here I have supplied a link to a google doc that contains a photo of my Orchid baby! (cant figured out how to add a photo srry)
Untitled document - Google Docs

[Roberta]

Welcome!

That leaf looks like it will soon drop. If it were my plant, I'd get out a single-use single edge razor blade and remove it, and hopefully if if there is a disease issue, that gets removed along with the leav. (dust the cut with cinnamon if you want). How do the rest of the leaves look?

If you're getting white fuzz on your medium, it likely needs to be repotted. An airy, well drained medium doesn't grow mold. How long have you had the plant? Can you tell us more about your conditions?

[cooheyorchidman]

Hello!

Yes, of course. I will invest in some cinnamon powder, I was using cinnamon oil that I got from Walmart and it didn't help my other Aloe Plant I used it on. They are green, haven't noticed any visual change to them yet. I've had it since last Spring. It was in a large pot, I've moved it to a smaller one with much less medium and more drain holes. I would assume there is some mold in my house as I unfortunately live with individuals that refuse to deep clean anything, so possible mold growth throughout my estate is highly possible.

In regards to the conditions, I moved it to the top shelf in my closet with a light fixture that I made sure had the proper amount of light for my orchid. Medium was relatively wet since the last time I watered, temperatures have cooled as well so definitely didn't help with evaporation. I do not have any fans as I am scared if there is a possibility of mold that I'll be kicking them into the air to get into the medium.

[Roberta]

The only cinnamon that I use is the same stuff that I put on food. It has fungicidal properties, and also helps dry up a cut surface. A staple on one's spice rack. Just a sprinkle on a cut surface of the plant is all you need.

Air movement is critical for orchids - they are basically air plants. We put them in pots with medium to hold them in place, and provide more moisture than the ambient humidity. In nature, Phalaenopsis plants grow on the sides and branches of trees - but the humidity is very high, and it rains every day. However, when the rain stops, they dry out somewhat. (Look up the weather in the Philippines at low elevations.., that's where the parents of the hybrids come from) They don't need a sterile environment, and also don't want to be constantly soggy-wet. Evaporation is good! The roots want "humid air" not "wet". The emphasis is on AIR - moving air.

If it is chllly (like below about 68 deg F/20 deg C consider getting a heat mat. Yes it will dry faster (so you'll water a bit more often), but Phals hate cold. If cold, they need to be rather dry. Cold and wet = cold and dead...

[cooheyorchidman]

Thank you for the information I will make sure to add them to my orchid knowledge repertoire.

It's quite a catch 22, as if my residence is suspected to have mold, a heated, damp orchid plant would be perfect breeding ground for mold spores. Especially if I have ventilation as it'll allow the spores to move more freely in the air and then land on my plant medium ! I guess for now I will leave the springtails in my medium until I have a more permanent solution to this possible mold issue.

I've researched a lil into spraying a diluted mixture of water and cinnamon sticks. I've mostly only done that outside my house, not within. I've been practice what some may say "ocd" like tendencies such as removing all article of clothes before entering my room as spores can travel on them, I think.

After reading my qualms I hope you have a better understanding of my situation and I thank you for answering at all. With this I exit with a couple of questions.

1. Do you know of any mediums that are more mold resistant? My medium consist of sphagnum moss and an orchid mix I got from Home Depot that does not display what the mix is made of.

2.Would you recommend a weekly or bi-weekly addition of a cinnamon stick diluted solution when I water my orchid for the prevention of future mold outbreaks?

3. Do you have a diagnosis of what disease my Orchid may possibly have? As I would still like to treat it, or do you not believe this is the correct action and I should just cut off the leaf and allow it to heal naturally.

[Roberta]

I don't think that the cinnamon stick water thing will be of any use at all.
Cut off that leaf and hope that whatever it is, hasn't gotten into the rest of the plant. The leaf won't get better, there isn't much good leaf left, leaves don't heal.
I prefer to grow in bark - it has lots of air spaces, drains well. Air movement is critical - mold thrives in damp, airless places. Provide moving air and it doesn't get established because that environment doesn't encourage the mold to grow. Spores are in the environment, they grow when conditions suit them. So you want to make conditions that don't suit them. I have plants growing in a small, congested greenhouse where the humidity is usually around 70-80%, and fairly warm. And I have never had mold. There are fans going 24/7 so air movement is quite good.

[cooheyorchidman]

Hello,

Here I have a photo of my orchid post-op . I cut off the leaf with a sterile scissor and applied a coating of vegetable oil mixed with cinnamon over the cut. I left a cassia cinnamon stick in the medium to help fight (ง'̀-'́)ง off future infections of mold!

I want to say thank you again for answering!

[Roberta]

I don't see a photo. Take that cinnamon stick out of the medium. I don't know what it might leach, but likely not good for the plant. With fresh medium and air movement and a watering frequency that lets your orchid be damp but not constantly soggy, you won't get mold - and your orchid will be healthy. Air movement is critical.

[cooheyorchidman]

Okay. I have taken out the cinnamon stick, appreciate the lookout for my Orchid.

Here is a link to a google doc with the photo. I have removed the Cassia Cinnamon Stick.

Untitled document - Google Docs

[Roberta]

Now, here is a suggestion for determining how often to water... Water the plant well (you can hold it under the faucet, let the water run through the pot. Then let it drain. Weigh it on a kitchen scale or postal scale. Weigh it again the next day and the next. When the rate of weight loss slows down (not much more water to evaporate) it is time to water again. When you run that water through the pot, you are also pulling air into the root zone. When the water evaporates, what stays behind? Humid air. Exactly what the plant wants. And the flowing water also flushes out any accumulated "crud". An environment friendly to orchid roots, unfriendly to mold.