Treating possible stem rot on Phalaenopsis Orchid

[@elenamiyamoto7843]

Hi! Thank you for your videos! Having a sad orchid moment just now. I've been trying to keep alive my first orchid. I repotted for the first time about 2 months, after it had been in the store medium for a year. I was really careful not to over water but it just wasn't thriving and two leaves started to yellow. So I decided to repot even though i had just done it. Well when I pulled it out of the pot the two last leaves snapped off and the stem had black spots and there was only one root left. Every other root has shriveled and was dead. ;( I repotted the stem and one root in sphag and perlite mix. But I fear it is the end. Wish I could attach a pic. I'll just leave it alone and see if maybe it returns to any life. Thx for listening!

[@sirene7465]

The same thing's happening with my compact phal that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I have repotted it. I had to cut off its flower spikes. I washed its roots with H Peroxide before repotting and applied some cinnamon powder on its stem. Its base leaf is turning yellow and the plant looks so unhappy. I pushed the moss in the pot away from the stem and I hope that this orchid will somehow survive. The problem is that it was overwatered and had a root rot at the time I bought it.

[@bayyPiNAY]

is there a follow up video for this plant

[@claireannabear]

Hi there! I just wanted to tell you how much you’ve helped me in such a short amount of time. It’s my first time trying orchid rehabilitation, and she actually got sicker after I repotted her with the repotme basic mix. I went right to your channel and after a couple videos, I hope I have saved her! Thank you again, I enjoy your videos so much ❤❤❤

[@alinparsegian]

Hello from Greece, this cinamon advice saved my phalenopsis, thank you for sharing, you 're doing a great work!

[@miss30427]

Hello, Dani! I cannot tell you how much I needed this lesson. I received a phalenopsis that has the identical black spot on the base. I am going to follow your steps in caring for this plant. Thank you very much! Date: February 8, 2017

[@SoCalRegisteredNurse]

Mine has stem rot 😭 I’m so sad. It is growing new roots but all the roots connected to the rotting stem were no good. I pot them in repotme Monterey dark phal mix with very airy plastic pots. I don’t put them in decorative pots. Anyway, it has arial roots so I will mist those twice a day. I cut off the rotted part with sterilized scissors and applied cinnamon and sat it on top of repotme original mix which I think is coconut shells (it’s real chunky). I did give the arial roots a mist with a small amount of root booster that I also got from repotme. I mixed it in a gallon of distilled and tap and put in a tsp and then in a mister bottle. I actually feel depressed over this, like I failed my orchid somehow. I know that sounds totally irrational but they’re my passion and hobby and I’m completely bummed and start thinking I should just give up

[@luisalulucm3010]

I’m currently having the same problem with mine, it’s so sad!!

[@Puddycat00]

I adore orchids but I’m new to orchid ownership. I purchased my very first two beautiful white flower Phalys and one is doing great, flowers just fell as soon as it turned September. I don’t know if I should just let it be or cut the green stem. I am so afraid to mess with it and possibly kill it. Coz it looks like it’s fine, leaves and roots are nice and green. Now the other orchid didn’t do so well. The flowers died in August and then the stem got all brown so I cut it all the way to the base as I saw someone do in a video and then I re potted it. But first I noticed it had dry roots and some broken stringy roots that I cut off, then I watered it well after re potting it. But the potting medium I used was no good, pieces were too large to keep the orchid propped and it didn’t hold any water so every nite I’d spray my Phaly with a small spray bottle filled with distilled water, very carefully and got its surface roots wet too. Then one day I saw this great potting mix on Amazon just for orchids, it had 99% great reviews. It’s called AAA imperial orchid mix, made with New Zealand sphagnum 5 Star Chilean top quality long fingered AAA moss, large sponge rock medium cork, very expensive for the amount u get but I was willing to try everything to save my orchid. I even bought Blue Moon Bells orchid spray that ppl who have had orchids for yrs swear by and love. It’s supposed to be an orchid super food spray for orchids made from all natural ingredients and beneficial microbes. Again it had 100% positive reviews. I spent a small fortune on this one orchid. I purchased a special and adorable orchid pot too. After putting my orchid in its new potting medium and watering it only once letting all the excess water drain thru bottom. I noticed a few days later that it’s leaves were all yellow and droopy. I immediately took it out of its medium and noticed black root rot to almost 80% of it. So I got some scissors and cleaned them with rubbing alcohol then I cut off the yellow dried out leaf underneath and snipped off all the black root rot stuff I could see and then rinsed it off in running water from my faucet then I put some 3% hydrogen peroxide in a small bowl and let its roots soak in it a few minutes. I then again rinsed it off. I forgot to dry it’s roots. I got fresh new planting medium and planted it again. I then dried it’s leaves with a paper towel. I then moved over some of the planting medium and sprayed its roots with some of my distilled water and covered its roots back up with the planting medium mix and let it sit. I am hoping I did the right thing and it will live and thrive. I don’t know if I did anything wrong, where I messed up. Please can you get back to me with any help and tips. I can send u pics of my Phaly so u can get an idea of what’s going on with him and maybe advise me. Or better yet I can send you a video of what I’ve done so far, show u what he looks like now and it’s roots. I’m afraid that maybe I shouldn’t have cut off one of the leaves. Oh this is breaking my heart, I can’t let him die. There must be something I can do to save him. I’ve seen ppl save orchids that were far worse. Please please get back to me. Thank u in advance.

[@diegopineda8301]

Something similar happened to one of my orchids as well. What I did was that I cut into the infected area, then I applied hydrogen peroxide to the wound multiple times in order to dry off the wound.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, how is the orchid now?

[@diegopineda8301]

It's basically good as new :)

[@wernerempleo2224]

I actually got that problem, I was worried because i might lost a 20 dollar orchid ( about 800peso), i cut that phalaenopsis like a propagation of a vanda. then seal it with cinnamon then dry out for 2days( MY PHAL IS ROOTLESS ) , then i go like a water culture put my orchids outside , i put my phal on a container with water but the stem of the phal is not touching it , then i foliar fertilize it twice a week in the afternoon about 4 then putted upside down for the night and in the morning i put her back in the container .and for now its 1month already it has 2 new 1inch roots and i actually potted it in already.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Great job :D guess the stem was larger than mine that you could cut it? not sure if I can cut anything on mine, let's hope this is just a leaf infection.

[@wernerempleo2224]

Its a large phalaenopsis... its a amabilis white thingy hybrid mine is called Phalaenopsis Triple Victory. yeah its a big one i dont know if this work on small stem or specie like thingy.

[@paxxiv]

So it all started with a mealybug infestation on most of my collection. I treated them all for mealybugs and thankfully I got rid of all those fuzzy guys. Haven’t seen any in the last weak or so, but as a consequence four of my phals ended up with stem rot. -I tried doing what the OP did and only one of them had a stem long enough for me to cut the infected portion of it and left the top crown with a few green leaves & an aerial root. It’s thanks to this aerial root that this Phal has a greater chance for recouping. The other three, on the other had had a much worse fait. As I was cutting in the same manner as I did with that other one, the stem was completely rotted and some liquid oozed from it. Long story short I applied cinnamon on the thing and 🤞🏼it all goes well, though the chances are slim....very slim.

[@alisonmaczka7359]

Just took the plunge and bought my very first orchid today. I have it all nice and cleaned and potted and placed in a likely area. Now I need to stop myself from staring at it and waiting for it to either grow or shrivel up and tell me I did something wrong lol! I finally decided on a phalaenopsis to get my feet wet as they seem to be relatively forgiving and suited to my growing conditions. It was labeled Phal. Sogo Gotris. I'm not even sure what color it will be but hopefully I will get a chance to find out. It does have a flower spike that has bloomed. There are no blooms currently but there are new buds on the flower spike. I saw no signs of pests, relatively healthy roots and signs of brand new root growth. If this goes well I'll be brave and try a different variety. If it fails I'll just try again until I figure out what the care needs will be in my conditions. :P I currently grown passion flowers, birds of paradise, jasmine, hibiscus and and Ixoa (jungle geranium). Wish I could say I was an aficionado of a type of plant, but sadly, my plant type of plant seems to be all plants.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, it sounds like you have a healthy orchid and the sogo gotris has great flowers.. do you want me to describe or you don;t want spoilers? :P anyway, orchids go together with tropical plants, I myself am starting to get more and more into tropicals, until now it was a space issue only so I focused on orchids :P

[@alisonmaczka7359]

+MissOrchidGirl I love my tropicals and they seem to love me. I hope orchids love me as well. As for that I would love a spoiler just in case my first attempt proves to be a failure like my gardinia. Aka the suicide plant. I've lost plants before but never had one seem to perk up and regain all its health from transport and repotting only to literally dry hl and die over night. When I went to bed I had a lush, fragrant bush, in the morning I had dried sticks.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

woaaaaw.. I am scared now, I really want a gardenia too. Maybe there was a bug problem? the sogo gotris makes tiny flowers, in the yellow orangeish realm with a purple center. Some even have fragrant ones, I had a non fragrant one. They are true minis as far as I know, so no worries about growing a monster in disguise ;)

[@alisonmaczka7359]

That's good to know. I love the big beautiful blooms but the little ones are so cute and until I see if they will do as well as I hope. If they do I will see what I can do about shelving or plant stands to accommodate some of the larger varieties. There was a dendrobium at my local garden center I was sorely tempted by as well. Gardenias are just really particular. I spoke with a master gardener I know and a horticulturalist that works at the botanical gardens near here. Gardenias just need perfect conditions. Just enough sun but not too much, just enough water and not a drop more and perfect soil PH (acidic). The horticulturalist said she has a hard time with them even in the green house. The number one mistake people make is over watering. Once they start to go they are not easy to nurse back to happiness. In my case she thought that the temperatures on my patio were just too hot for it. My jasmine smells so wonderful and is growing so well I may just need to invest in another variety or two Currently I have a jasmine sambac "Maid of New Orleans" I chose that one because it is more of a bush than a vine and is an ever bloomer. Maybe if you have sun but not major heat gardenias will be kinder to you than they have been to me.

[@KLGN87]

Hi! How many times should I apply the hydrogen peroxide + cinnamon power method? Once and wait until stem rot goes away?

[@FknNefFy]

Q-tips are good to dry the crown too!

[@lisacurtis8162]

Did it make it?

[@orchidsadutchy4940]

I hope it isn't anything serious. Thanks for sharing the treatment!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Yeah me too, but I am paranoid since my last one :P the leaf is yellowing now, but it also had a black patch on it.. think I see something on the stem so I check every day and it's not developing... yet.. but I am scared with this one :(

[@orchidsadutchy4940]

MissOrchidGirl This is the thing that worries me most about monopodials. :( I hope it will be ok.

[@apricotandfishtm3258]

This video might have just saved my orchid thank you

[@MixedDiaries]

I too had this problem with one of my phals.applied cinnamon powder and hope it will recover. Can see a small root developing.

[@Delamare82]

@Missorchidgirl Hi Dani, I'm always watching your videos and I've seen you try and save some Orchids but I have a question. My Orchid currently looks like this with a yellow leave. I tried taking away the black part & added cinnamon as I've seen you do to open cuts, but the one thing I didn't do was do the Hydrogen Peroxide bc for me at least, it hasnt worked before. Maybe I've overdone it 🤷‍♀️ Do you think it's enough with just the cinnamon? And also I let dry for a day, when should I repot with new bark? Thanks for all your help!

[@chrisjones-rd3lw]

Hi Danni Do you mix mix your 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with water ?

[@ma.carmenreyes3029]

Hi Dani 🙂 how long will it take before noticing that the procedure worked?

[@FknNefFy]

Quips are good to dry the crown too!

[@idpiano]

Hi Danny, I know this video is a few years old so I don't have much hope of getting a reply but I guess hoping anyway :). I think I have stem rot on my 2nd ever orchid (new to this! less than a month) and I have scoured your channel for information. This video is amazing but I have follow up questions. 1) Should I reuse the media or is it contaminated and need to use new? 2) Should I check the orchid after repotting it, or reapply treatment? 3) If so, how long after the first treatment? 4) is it okay to cut some of the black part of the stem where it is clearly rotted beyond healing? Thank you!

[@capyboppy]

Dannie: I am new to orchids and have just bought my 2nd one (I feel I may come addicted :-). I still am not sure on what some of the 'growths' are; and also what the burn type mark is on the thick stem. Is there an email I can send you photos to please? Hopefully you will be able to tell me; I don't want to put something on the mark that could make things worse. I am happy to donate something small for your help and of course the wonderful videos you have made that are so informative.

[@nathitappan]

Quick question... if a stem is fully rotten and all leaves fall out, is it possible to care for the orchid if there are still healthy roots? Will the superficial roots be able to photosynthesize enough to give the orchid to grow new leaves?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, typically if the stem is gone there is nothing else to do, as the stem is the only structure that can produce new plants. Roots will remain green for a little while, but eventually die off. Here's a similar case I filmed kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJDUpJSap6mNhqM

[@andreinabelloso]

Hello Danny, I have all of my orchidd really happy on the sphangamus moss, they are getting new leaves and also new roots. But none of them have bloomed yet and I think it might be light because my apartment doesnt have too much light where to put them. So I was thinking of getting a lamp for them, do you know What type of lamp should I choose, color of the light, etc? Thanks a lot for your comments and answers!!!! 😘

[@TheStorm12586]

Hello miss orchid girl, you have an amazing green thumb. Please help! I think my orchid has a bit of rot. Not a great root system. I cut most of the rotten roots but more have died . If there is a way I can show you a few pictures and see what you think? It is growing a new leaf. I just don’t know about her.

[@lorie.5675]

Hi Dani, How many applications of the hydrogen peroxide and cinnamon do you recommend? I have 2 leaves affected, one has already fallen off and the other will fall off in another day or so. I've peeled back the base of the first leaf and treated the rot with hydrogen peroxide. I'm trying to save this Phal because it has 2 newer leaves and another small leaf starting to grow

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, usually 1 is enough. If the cinnamon is washed off soon after I would reapply, but in a few days the cut does dry, so there is no need for reapplication ☺️

[@lorie.5675]

@@MissOrchidGirl Thanks for responding so quickly. The peroxide/cinnamon treatment was applied to 2 spots of black rot on the lower part of the stem. I lost the 2 leaves that were affected. The 3 upper leaves are higher up on the stem, they seem to be above the rot. So if this treatment dries up the rot, will the newer 3 leaves continue to thrive?

[@carsondyle1793]

I’ve been tasked with saving a few orchids. Hope I can pull it off

[@tropicalgalaxy1503]

I bought an awesome tetrapsis orchid grown from seed (spore), one of a kind from an orchid show, the grower advised me to repot quickly but i waited a little too long and side rot set in, it was about to bloom and i wanted to time lapse it. I almost never loose Phal.s , i was very bummed out, perhaps side rot is a trait of the species.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Sorry to hear :( not sure what to say, my previous tetraspis died of a stem issue as well, at the beginning of the year when I was having mites issues and was trying to keep them in water for a while to make treatments easier. That wasn't a great idea :P it might be a sensitivity at least of the species indeed, I hope this will not have the same fate, though the leaf with the black patch is yellowing now.. hmmmm

[@gollan8853]

I have one phalaenopsis orchid and the stem got rotten bcoz of sphagnam moss wet...how would i treat this poor thing to regain bk...leafs were ok only the stem and root rot..... plz suggest...

[@dorcasw9921]

After applying Hydrogen Peroside and cinnamon, what do we do? Do we apply daily? How dp we keep it after the application?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, one applucation is tipically enough, after 5 minutes it's a good idea to remove the water left with a paper towel and maintain the area dry, add cinnamon after removing excess water ☺️

[@kaitlinspiegel2970]

Hi Dani, your videos have been so helpful for me as I recently started the orchid hobby as well. I recently repotted a Phalaenopsis orchid (after removing the bad roots), but had to place it in a temporary pot while I waited for my orchid pots to come from Amazon. When I went to replant it today, I noticed a bunch of tiny fluid filled pearl like spheres in my bark medium, which appeared to be similar to the roots, though were not attached. Do you know what these are? I included them when I transplanted to the proper pot, just wanted to make sure I did the right thing! Thank you! :)

[@chirayildharmajan8061]

Hi, Iam using charcoal and coconut chips as medium for my phaelenopsis may be because of that many of my orchids are affected root and stem rot. Can I use only charcoal as medium since getting other mediums are not easily available here please advise me

[@wandadarmawan5133]

hi Danni do you think is it better for orchids like phalaenopsis to be placed higher on the media?? like u say in the video it prevent crown root n so on, but can the same treatment do to other non pseudobulb orchids like angraecum etc (not the vanda though)

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, yes I prefer to pot any monopodial (common) orchid in this way, rather than bury it. The first set of leaves should always be on top :)

[@marieh442]

I have the same problem with one of my phals. it lost a yellow leaf too (not the oldest one). I have done this treatment, but what is next? Do you plan to repeat the prosess? if so, how often? And is there a difference between stem rot and crown rot? Thanks Danni! Love your work.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, basically now it's wait time :) no point in repeating if the infection doesn't spread, but it needs a bit of time. The important thing is to keep the area dry so we don't help the infection proliferate. Crown rot refers to the very top of the orchid being affected, while stem rot might occur at any point of the stem, even the base. Hope this helped :)

[@marieh442]

+MissOrchidGirl ok, thanks! Have you ever tried the orchid fertilizer sticks? i was wondering about your thoughts on them. im afraid they'll burn the roots.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, yes I tried them 5-6 years ago, the roots around them got burned :(

[@mariambass]

Is it possible to use alcohol instead of hydrogen peroxide?

[@j.divine2463]

Thank you very much for another Great and Helpful video.

[@cherylpenn4509]

is 6% hydrogen pyroxide ok to use???

[@marcellamiller4439]

My Phalaenopsis tetraspis has the very same problem! Off to surgery!

[@calliezohner6952]

My phal is struggling, I want to send a picture, although I can't. My new roots have black on the underside of them. I followed this video. I'm hoping this will save her.

[@kowinminlatt3660]

After repotting should I water them

[@orcamum]

Greek cinnamon! Hi from Greece!

[@edj2745]

I had the same problem with one of my phalaenopsis. I removed the rot with the leaf using an exacto knife and tweezer after sterilizing it.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Thanks for sharing, think I might have a bigger problem on my hands as well, I'll give it a bit more and might intervene as well :)

[@cherylpenn4509]

Thank you. I do have a phal like this, sob. xxx

[@juliazilberleyb3127]

Hello Danni. I was given a phalanopsis orchid with stem rot, there is only one leaf, one is almost gone, there was some root rot, but there are a few good roots remaining. I did un-pot the orchid, cleaned it up, sprayed with hydrogen peroxide and did use some cinnamon. I have not potted it yet... I am not sure what to do next. Any tips will be very helpful. Thank you!

[@yuniwatichandradinata3754]

Hi, do u manage save your orchid? Mine in the same condition with yours now. And confuse what should do after clean, cinamon and repoting

[@SEI0316]

@@yuniwatichandradinata3754 same here... What's next

[@yuniwatichandradinata3754]

Mine no more already 😖

[@rimmersbryggeri]

The stem of one of mine is withering? What might that be?

[@draganadraga5464]

i have 2 phalaenopsis with the same problem :( one white mini phal and a normal phal... and i know why... when i watered these orchids the water was to height in the pot :( and it's worse and worse... i have removed the black spot with a knife, sprayed it with hydrogen peroxide, when it dried i put cinnamon on it, it looked good but the leaves become a bit yellowish :( i don't know if the phals will make it :( they are in bloom with very good roots but i think the crown rot is still there... i hope your orchid will be good :) good luck :) i have a question, i have a few phals which have a lot of roots, actually to many :p they are in a 15 cm pot, and they will not fit next year, but i won't buy bigger pots because i have not much space, what should i do with the roots? cut them a bit? i don't know...

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, the leaf on mine is yellowing too as the black patch is at the leaf joint, so I guess that is normal. But the idea is to not let it affect other leaf joints at least. About cutting the roots... I am not an adept I cannot recommend that, except cutting the dead roots I don;t think it's a good idea, or a safe idea, to cut any good roots. Wait until next year, maybe they won;t need as much space as you think they will ;)

[@CdntTnkOfAUsrName]

Did I just kill my espresso orchid? I think I just killed my espresso orchid. I went to cut off the dried stem and all the green leaves plopped off. Please help!

[@nathaliehuang4967]

I'm not sure what to do about one of my phal orchids. The stem is somewhat black, but it's not entirely black. I have it potted over the medium mix without the mix actually touching the blackish stem. If I use hydrogen peroxide (3%), how much should be using? Should I be mixing it with water into a sprayer bottle and then using it?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, no a 3% concentration is ok, but make sure you wipe the water after it stops fizzing. Re applying will depend on how the disease progresses, I usually don;t reapply if there's no need. About the stem, not sure how it looks like, if you want you can share a picture just upload a picture to photobucket, flickr, instagram, imgur or g plus and share the link in a comment here, I'll take a look :) the main idea is to keep it under observation and see if it spreads.

[@nathaliehuang6023]

+MissOrchidGirl I uploaded a photo here: m.imgur.com/gallery/B2RXccv Tell me what you think of the plant's black patches. I've also noticed that some of the roots have shriveled up and become very dry and white. I cut off those off.

[@joanclavering3472]

My phal that had root rot and a keiki, after working so hard on it, this morning the only leaf that it had just fell off

[@laurananni7740]

hi danny! what kind of media is that?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, you can find out about my set up here :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYHNg56ejLScrMk

[@sofiyavyshnya6723]

Hi Dani! Thank you so much for the great video. It was very helpful. I also experienced an issue with stem rot. I applied hydrogen peroxide and cinnamon, as you suggested, and I have a question about what to do next. Should I repeat this process daily (or every few days), or should I only do this once leave the cinnamon over the affected area until the orchid gets better? Also, I was curious about re-potting. Did you re-pot because your phal had stem rot, or did you do that because you just ordered the orchid and wanted to put it in a better pot? Thank you for all your help! Your channel is awesome!

[@farinashoaib4666]

Danny i was repotting my phalaeophsis I accidentally broke my new leaf 🙁what will happen next?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, no problem, let it be as it is the remaining leaf is most probably functional :)

[@farinashoaib4666]

+MissOrchidGirl . Hi , thanks a lot 😊

[@Znabeela]

How can i treat my phalaenopsis orchid plant suffering from stem rot??if i remove the portion will my plant grow new roots from above? someone please help me

[@Sebastian-mo8bt]

I'm 26 000th subscraiber!!!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

:D thank you!

[@alanavonbismarck]

This same thing to my tetraspis a some time ago. It lost 6 leaves and stem was dark. And at some point it stopped and now its making new roots from that area and a new leaf. Not sure what really happened but it was in a very wet media for a long time.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Oh sorry to hear, yes it might be a sensitivity of this species who knows. Great to hear she managed to survive though, I am still in doubt with mine, I might be paranoid since I lost one to a stem issue :P

[@dorcasw9921]

Hi Dani, i needed your advise to save my phelenopsis orkid from stem rpt and now its causing root rot. May i send you the photos via email?

[@unakasumovic7913]

Hi Miss :) I've send you mail last week can you please give it a check? Thanks!

[@BizzaroBrainBoi]

omg my orchid is about to die x_____X