Anyone have orchids? Got some questions...

[toyjunky]

My husband was given a small orchid about a year ago. Basically we just put it in the kitchen window, watered it once a week and left it alone. So far we have managed not to kill it, yay. It is your average phalaenopsis orchid. However, I did repot it into an orchid pot about a month ago and noticed black stuff around the base. So I Googled and figured out it looks like crown rot, and saw some videos about how to treat it with hydrogen peroxide (to kill the fungus) and ground cinnamon, which I have not done yet as I am trying to figure out if I really want to try that out at the moment. After I repotted it a month ago it started growing an aerial root and a new flower spike (or at least I think it is a new flower spike, growing next to the old one I cut off since it was brown and is growing very slowly compared to the aerial root). Since I just repotted it, and it's growing new things I don't know that I should disturb it.

1) What if I don't treat the crown rot? Will it recover on it's own given time?
2) Anyone treated crown rot on an orchid? Did you use the hydrogen peroxide and ground cinnamon or something else?
3) If I do treat it will it hurt/stop the new growth?

Thanks in advance 

[Lady Frostbite]

Sorry, I didn't see this!! What kind of orchid is it you have? I can help with moth orchids

[Artemesia's Garden]

I have some phals. I've never tried treating for crown rot and would assume that it's fatal unless new, healthy growth appears. I know people use HPO in aquariums to treat algae but I've not tried it on plants. From a quick search I saw that physan 20 is recommended by some orchid growers so you might be able to use that to attempt saving the whole thing.

 If you're lucky, the new shoot might be a keiki, i.e. a new, healthy vegetative shoot. In which case you can gently remove the rotten part, leaving the healthy part. Allow the plant to dry out a little for an hour or two and then dust the whole thing with sulfur powder. Then re-pot (again).

Does your orchid's pot have drainage holes? I have an inner plastic pot with holes and an outer pot with no holes to catch drips and keep the plant upright. Both are semi-transparent allowing light in so the green roots can photosynthesise. I hold the inner pot over the sink once a week and water the roots only, letting it drain through.

Hope that helps.