Crown issue?

[ang709]

My friend is seeking advice for this Phal. She said it's possible water was trapped between the leaves. Is there anything she should do for it? Will the yellow spread beyond this leaf? Do you think there is a problem with the crown? Thank you.

[King Kjeldz]

some roots look healthy.....i dont like that growing medium....that moss is atrocious....repot immediately into more breathable coarser material..........the crown is fine for now....if it wasn't the leaf at the centre would be yellow....not that lower one...leave the leaf but monitor it.....if sanitation is an issue for ur friend....before repotting cut dead roots and soak the roots in a sanitizing solution and let dry...then repot...and monitor watering

[cdayinflorida]

I don't grow a lot of Phals but many, many people grow in sphagnum. It works for lots of folks. It just looks like a damaged leaf, no more, no less. And the roots?? They look fine to me.

[tucker85]

I agree with the previous posts. I don't think the yellowing leaf was caused by water trapped in it. The yellowing probably won't extend to the rest of the plant. The lose of an occasional lower leaf is perfectly normal.

[King Kjeldz]

i understand your friend's concern as the leaf affected or being shed isn't the lowest leaf on the plant...so naturally there would be some suspicion.....very astute observation

[Kassie]

I see a bit of black above the fingernail where the leaf attaches to the plant. Because it is not the lowest leaf, I would suspect a bit of rot, especially after seeIng the dark tinge to the roots.

I have one right now that lost a middle set of leaves to rot, and there was a wound on the underlying stem, but I treated it with a bit of peroxide and made sure that area stayed dry and it seems to be recovering nicely. it might help if your friend carefully peels the affected part of the leaf back and clean that black off the stem.

I agree that your friend should repot. I don't like potting with only sphagnum, but when I get a new phal in sphag only, I find they transition to different media the best if the new mix contains about 1 part sphag to 4 parts bark mix. Going straight from sphag to bark seems to shock them.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

I don't grow a lot of Phals but many, many people grow in sphagnum. It works for lots of folks. It just looks like a damaged leaf, no more, no less. And the roots?? They look fine to me.

I agree. Normal looking phal and leaf that is simply damaged.

cheers,
BD