need help with rootrot in my phalaenopsis!

[shahrezsyed]

i really need help from all of you people!
my phal had really serious root rot a long time ago. so i cut all the roots, cut the bare stub and potted it again in coconut fibre because it did have bout 12 green root nubbins. now i just observed that whenever a root got an inch long it started to rot! it is,nt much of a crisis because only one root got to about an inch long and rotted. so i have 11 more nubbins. but i wanted to know how to stop this because i am worried that the other roots could rot too when they get longer like this one.and no chemical fungicide is,nt availible in our region too! so i was wondering can i treat it with cinnamon juice extracted by steeping cinnamon in hot water?
sorry for such a long post
i just really hope that it survives because it is my most prized, expenive and ONLY orchid
i just hope it survives
shahrez

[jkhom]

I'm not an expert but this is what works for me.
Sounds like the roots aren't getting enough air circulation. Usually when I buy a phal, it's planted in sphag, because I have a heavy watering hand, I replant my phals in orchid mix so it drains better and provides more air for the roots, not to mention that sphag degrades faster.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Do you have hydrogen peroxide and bleach? This is a cheap and easy way to disinfect orchids.

Put a pinch of bleach into a one quart container of water (something close to a quart is fine). Submerge the roots in the bleach-water solution for about 5-10 minutes. Rinse the roots out thoroughly. Use hydrogen peroxide directly on the roots. Let it fizz for about 5 minutes. Rinse again. Congratulations, you've just disinfected your orchid roots.

BTW, you can switch out any one of the two disinfectants with baking soda.

[Ray]

Shahrez, are the roots rotting or drying up? What color did the one turn that told you it was a "goner"?

I can think of a couple of scenarios to consider:

• Coconut products can be loaded with salt, so have to be soaked and cleaned very well to leach the slats out before use. If the dying root tip turns black, that's a good possibility.
• Coconut fiber, if packed tightly, will hold a lot of water in little droplets in the spaces between the fibers. If packed too tightly, they can sit there a long time and suffocate the roots, as jkhom suggested. In that case, the roots will turn brown and mushy instead of black when they die.

[Roly0217]

I had one of my Phals with root rot since it was planted in coconut fiber when I purchased it and being my first one I kind of overwatered it. I took it out of the fiber cut all of the dead roots off and planted it in bark. It's been doing great ever since. It's grown a lot of new roots and a couple of new leaves. So I would say repot it in bark. Good luck with it.

[ericst11]

i would physan 20 the plant and go with a hydro potting mix

[isurus79]

I think a spag n bag treatment is in order.