Does Phal have stem rot?

[sewcrazy64]

Today I bought a Phal that was planted in spagh. and looked a bit ill. When I took it out of the pot, the majority of the rootball fell off. The portion of the stem that came off with the rootball is black (see picture #2) which makes me think the stem rotted. There are some roots left on the plant, but the stem is black.

Please refer to the pictures below and tell me if you think the stem has rot. Does it look healthy enough to survive? As always, thanks for your help! Dana



This shows the black stem where the rootball broke off the plant.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Clean it up a bit with some hydrogen peroxide and plant it in a bark mix; it will be fine. You found the rot early enough and there are still healthy roots. It might set the plant back a bit, but you should be able to save it. Good luck.

Cheers,
BD

[Germinatorman]

I believe that Bruce's assessment is spot on. I would also recommend you keep it away from much light for a while. Obviously being a Phal. it does not need a whole lot of light but I would keep it a little darker for a few weeks to give it some time to establish itself.

[angela]

Hi BD
when treating with Hy. Peroxide what strength do you use ? Neat or diluted ?

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Hi BD
when treating with Hy. Peroxide what strength do you use ? Neat or diluted ?

Haha.. never heard it said like that before. Neat should be fine.

Cheers,
BD

[Bruce]

Brutal Dreamer is about right. It will survive . It is an eiphytic orchid and needs air around the roots. Rather than a bark mix straight bark would be better Coarse bark greater than 15cms is the best. It will need a lot of high nitogen feed when in bark. Spray the feed on to the leaves.

The best Phali grower I knew in Townsville Australia grew his in straight vocanic gravel. Quite large gravel in troughs. He fed his with bacteria bred from chicken droppings by soaking it in water.
Bruce Ah Sing