Phalaenopsis brown roots & reddish leaf

[MiffyThePhalaenopsis]

Hi, first time having an orchid so I don't know much other than what I've looked online. I got her as a present so I didn't really learn much before getting her.

So, I pulled Miffy(my orchid) out from her plant medium to check on any root rot, and they're still very much green. Her leaves look very much healthy and green, but the leaves on the same side of the plant turn yellow and fall off. I saw online that it's normal for the plant's cycle, but this time the leaf has a reddish hue to it. She also has a small brown area on the edge of her leaf so I don't know if it means anything.

I also don't know if the roots are fine. The bottoms look healthy but the top area looks brown and woody. She's been growing a new leaf so I'm getting conflicting information on if she's healthy or not. I also saw online that cinnamon is good for preventing fungal infections, is that true?

Also, because I see dust on the leaves, would it be a good idea to wipe them down with a moist paper towel to get the dust off? I haven't done that yet in case it might hurt her but I figure I might ask. Sorry for the wall of text, I'm still fairly new to caring for plants.

I was soaking her for an hour when I took the photo. I only water her once a week.

[Veksa]

Welcome to the board! First, why is it sitting in the water? Do you have a picture of roots without the medium?

[SouthPark]

Hi MTP ----- the extreme wetness of the regions on the roots and the media most likely is causing the relatively still water to hang around too long in and around the roots for too long. The roots probably use up all the oxygen in that relatively still water, then runs out of oxygen, then starts to die and rot.

Some useful tips that should help avoid issues like that are shown in the following links:

Click Here and Click Here and Click Here.

The roots down below in the media might be 'green' for now. But if the media is too soggy/wet, then those roots could go the same way was the ones up top.

On the other hand, some photos of the roots removed from the media may be beneficial too.

Also - veksa could be right. Is that orchid in the photo sitting in a pool of water? The region around the pot came out a bit dark in the photo. So I can't see it clearly.

[MiffyThePhalaenopsis]

Originally Posted by Veksa

Welcome to the board! First, why is it sitting in the water? Do you have a picture of roots without the medium?

I was soaking it for the hour when I took the photo. I only water it once a week. Thanks for the welcome! I'll try to take a picture of the roots.

---------- Post added at 10:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 PM ----------

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Hi MTP ----- the extreme wetness of the regions on the roots and the media most likely is causing the relatively still water to hang around too long in and around the roots for too long. The roots probably use up all the oxygen in that relatively still water, then runs out of oxygen, then starts to die and rot.

The roots down below in the media might be 'green' for now. But if the media is too soggy/wet, then those roots could go the same way was the ones up top.

On the other hand, some photos of the roots removed from the media may be beneficial too.

Also - veksa could be right. Is that orchid in the photo sitting in a pool of water? The region around the pot came out a bit dark in the photo. So I can't see it clearly.

Sorry, I forgot to note that I was soaking her when I was taking the photo. She's in a smaller 3 inch wide plastic container and the black pot is for soaking her. Asides from that, I don't leave water in the black pot, though I do wonder if putting her near a fish tank does affect her.

Thank you for the advice, though! I looked at the links you sent. I might look into the lava rock since the wood chips that Miffy had are starting to turn into dirt. If it's not too much to ask, do you have any advice for replanting? She has a lot of roots and they all seem interconnected somehow, so I've been a bit intimidated on replanting after pulling her out once to remove any possible dead roots before.

[SouthPark]

MTP -- putting next to a fish tank is ok. But make sure the orchid gets enough light too. And also enough warmth (or good temperature range).

As for re-potting (if you need to) ...... don't be afraid of pulling old medium (eg. old bark etc) away from roots. Some roots getting damaged and snapped off can be expected. But obviously be as gentle as possible to minimise damage, or even eliminate damage.

Only yesterday, I had a shipment of orchids come in ---- two juvenile Jackfowlieara Appleblossom plants and a flowering size Rlc. Brunswick Gem 'Coral' (which I already have a very big plant of already, which is also about to be flowering in maybe the next week or so ----- but just decided to get this one too, for extra flowering activity). These are cattleya type orchids.

But it's all the same. Get them out of their pots, get most of the loose bark and/or perlite off the roots. Wash the roots under tap water, and gently pry away bark still stuck on the roots. It's not necessary to get every single bit off. But I usually can get pretty much all of it off the roots.

Then ---- I pot up in scoria. Big scoria chunks at the base of the pot (always) ...... which don't block drainage holes. Then (if I want to) put smaller size scoria on top of the bottom (large piece) layer. It can take some time to fill in the regions between the orchid roots (expecially if there's lots of roots already). But not filling all the spaces in between isn't going to be a big deal ---- just as long as there's enough media in the pot to retain moisture (when we do watering later) is fine.

Then (maybe unnecessary, but I do it anyway) ---- after potting, I spray all the plants with Mancozeb (leaves top and bottom, and stem).

The pots I use are non-see-through, plastic, with very good drainage holes down the bottom.


MTP ----- actually, your existing pot and medium looks quite ok there. The only thing is to just watch it with getting the roots too wet for relatively long periods of time. That's about it really.

And - if only your top roots have dried up or died, and if you notice that your remaining roots remain healthy and excellent looking ----- then don't worry too much --- because the main thing is the rest of those roots stay nice looking like that, then that'll be great.

Also, while the soaking method sounds quite workable and reported in general to have very good results ----- we also know that out in the wild, the orchids usually don't get their roots plunged in water for half an hour or an hour etc.

Instead, whenever it occurs, rain comes down and wets the roots, like when we water regularly. Or orchids in humid enough places can even just absorb moisture from the air. But ----- if your dunking method works, and keeps working nicely ---- then it's ok to stay with it. The main thing is --- if it works nicely for very long periods of time, and if it's convenient - then stay with it.

[MiffyThePhalaenopsis]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

MTP -- putting next to a fish tank is ok. But make sure the orchid gets enough light too. And also enough warmth (or good temperature range).

As for re-potting (if you need to) ...... don't be afraid of pulling old medium (eg. old bark etc) away from roots. Some roots getting damaged and snapped off can be expected. But obviously be as gentle as possible to minimise damage, or even eliminate damage.

Only yesterday, I had a shipment of orchids come in ---- two juvenile Jackfowlieara Appleblossom plants and a flowering size Rlc. Brunswick Gem 'Coral' (which I already have a very big plant of already, which is also about to be flowering in maybe the next week or so ----- but just decided to get this one too, for extra flowering activity. These are cattleya type orchids.

But it's all the same. Get them out of their pots, get most of the loose bark and/or perlite off the roots. Wash the roots under tap water, and gently pry away bark still stuck on the roots. It's not necessary to get every single bit off. But I usually can get pretty much all of it off the roots.

Then ---- I pot up in scoria. Big scoria chunks at the base of the pot (always) ...... which don't block drainage holes. Then (if I want to) put smaller size scoria on top of the bottom (large piece) layer. It can take some time to fill in the regions between the orchid roots (expecially if there's lots of roots already). But not filling all the spaces in between isn't going to be a big deal ---- just as long as there's enough media in the pot to retain moisture (when we do watering later) is fine.

Then (maybe unnecessary, but I do it anyway) ---- after potting, I spray all the plants with Mancozeb (leaves top and bottom, and stem).

The pots I use are non-see-through, plastic, with very good drainage holes down the bottom.


MTP ----- actually, your existing pot and medium looks quite ok there. The only thing is to just watch it with getting the roots too wet for relatively long periods of time. That's about it really.

I see! Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. The temperature should be fine since we keep the house in the 20's and we keep her on a south facing window, but I was wondering if it might be a problem because the house is semi-shady for some days especially since the neighbour grows a giant tree. I guess the roots at the top aren't a big concern then?

[SouthPark]

MTP - probably not a big concern. If the roots in the pot always stay healthy looking like they currently are ..... including the roots in the middle or centre of the pot (directly under the orchid), then that should be fine.

Sometimes, if humidity is a bit low, then some aerial roots (poking up above the surface) just can't handle it ..... ie. too dry for them maybe.

Just provide good temperature range (already mentioned), adequate lighting levels, and avoid roots running out of oxygen. And if possible - provide gentle air-movement in the growing area.

[MiffyThePhalaenopsis]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

MTP - probably not a big concern. If the roots in the pot always stay healthy looking like they currently are ..... including the roots in the middle or centre of the pot (directly under the orchid), then that should be fine.

Sometimes, if humidity is a bit low, then some aerial roots (poking up above the surface) just can't handle it ..... ie. too dry for them maybe.

I see! That's really relieving, I was looking all over what might be the problem but couldn't figure it out for the life of me, thanks so much for the advice!

[Veksa]

Thanks for clarification. I also do not see anything alarming inside the pot. Outside roots are exposed to the sun so some damage is inevitable. I keep mine in bark, so can't advise on scoria or other media, however i think 1 hr soaking might be too long. 30 min should be enough for a pot this size. Watering deneds on many factors, I always check the roots first if i feel it is time to water. Also, if you decide to repot try to set it deeper in the pot so not much roots are above the media.

[MiffyThePhalaenopsis]

Originally Posted by Veksa

Thanks for clarification. I also do not see anything alarming inside the pot. Outside roots are exposed to the sun so some damage is inevitable. I keep mine in bark, so can't advise on scoria or other media, however i think 1 hr soaking might be too long. 30 min should be enough for a pot this size. Watering deneds on many factors, I always check the roots first if i feel it is time to water. Also, if you decide to repot try to set it deeper in the pot so not much roots are above the media.

I see! Thanks for the advice, I'll try and do 30 minutes next time. She's sticking out from the pot mainly because I had trouble with the roots, so I'll keep it in mind!