URGENT:: Phalaenopsis - Semi/Hydro - 3 Years - Root Damage and Loss

[empiref]

Hello all; Hope everyone is well...

I don't know if this is the right place to post this issue; but I need urgent expert advice on the matter.

I own a Phalaenopsis, that was originally planted in sphagnum moss; I transferred it to Semi/Hydro and it was thriving for 3 years; lots of roots, new leaves and reliable bloomer. It has been in bloom for the past 9 months; when the blooms faded, the spike started growing again and formed new flower buds. It put out a second spike also, but unfortunately broke.



The plant is placed during winter in an Eastern facing room with several other Phals (all of them in Semi/Hydro).

About a month ago, I started noticing some shriveling and drying in the roots on the phal in question.





I water weekly (full flush of medium), use a slow release fertilizer, and also Kelpmax. Temperature is constant in that room, light is very sufficient.

Yesterday I noticed yellowing of the bottom leaves close to the base of the Phal.









Today I unpotted the phal and found out that about 75% of the roots were mushy, collapsed and rotten.







Then I proceeded to clean all the dead roots, exposing the wood structure of the cleaned stripped roots.



Then with a pair of sterilized pruning scissors, I cleaned the remainder, and I was left with a bunch of healthy roots.



Then I proceeded to remove the bottom 3 leaves that showed yellowing at the base of the leaves.

Then I sprayed the rhizome and bases of the cut roots and healthy roots with some hydrogen peroxide and left the plant to air dry.

I noticed that the plant started to form 3 flower spikes on the same side that stopped growing, the last one being under the top leaf.







At the end, I placed the plant in a plastic bag filled with clean hydroton (soaked with a solution of 1:250 Kelpmax); I tied the bad securely around the rhizome keeping the aerial roots outside the bag. The reason I placed it in the bag was to ask for your expert advice before I do anything.

The old hydroton that was in the pot, was soaked in a solution of water and bleach to clean it.



Unfortunately at the end, the top leaf broke, because I dropped the plant, it snapped at the base exposing the crown...





My questions are:

* Will the plant keep on growing new leaves after the top one broke?

** What do you advise me to do? Place the plant back in semi/hydro?

*** Did I do the right thing with the cleaning procedure?

Thank you all in advance for your time and help.

[estación seca]

I think your plant will recover just fine. I think you cleaned it well enough.

The original S/H container is about 5 times bigger than I would have used. Although the air spaces permit ventilation between the LECA balls, inside such a large container, there will not be much ventilation. Fast-growing, water-loving plants like Oncidiums may do fine with overly large containers, since they will soon fill the container. But not a slow-growing Phalaenopsis. Most never get huge, so a container of this size is not needed.

For a plant your size I would use a container holding maybe a liter of contents. I like to use the smallest container I have that fits my plants. My smallest containers hold a little over a liter. I suspect this is too large for some Cattleya seedlings I have transferred to S/H, but I am not sure.

[Ray]

I can think of a couple of possible scenarios that would lead to that, and neither involves pot size. (I routinely pot phals in S/H pots the diameter of the plant's leaf span or greater.)

Either the combination of low temperature and low humidity led to excessive evaporative cooling of the roots, or it's a toxicity issue.

If the LECA stays constantly moist, the degree of mineral and plant waste buildup is minimal. In the photos, I see evidence of significant drying of the medium, and that's when buildup is accelerated, and,ages it almost impossible to remove, even with vigorous flushing.

[empiref]

Originally Posted by Ray

I can think of a couple of possible scenarios that would lead to that, and neither involves pot size. (I routinely pot phals in S/H pots the diameter of the plant's leaf span or greater.)

Either the combination of low temperature and low humidity led to excessive evaporative cooling of the roots, or it's a toxicity issue.

If the LECA stays constantly moist, the degree of mineral and plant waste buildup is minimal. In the photos, I see evidence of significant drying of the medium, and that's when buildup is accelerated, and,ages it almost impossible to remove, even with vigorous flushing.

Hello Ray.

My questions are:

* Will the plant keep on growing new leaves after the top one broke?

** What do you advise me to do? Place the plant back in semi/hydro?

*** Did I do the right thing with the cleaning procedure?

Thank you all in advance for your time and help.

[Ray]

As long as you can keep that crown clean and dry, I think it's likely a new leave will emerge pretty soon.

If you can keep it warm, S/H should be fine, and yes, I think you did the right thing getting rid of the crappy roots.

[empiref]

Originally Posted by Ray

As long as you can keep that crown clean and dry, I think it's likely a new leave will emerge pretty soon.

If you can keep it warm, S/H should be fine, and yes, I think you did the right thing getting rid of the crappy roots.

Thank you Ray,

Do I cut the flower spike??