Cattleya with No Roots .....it don't look good

[DenmanNJ]

I have a large Cattleya that I got off of Ebay. When it arrived I unpotted it and saw that the roots were black and mushy. I trimmed them off and placed the Cattleya in a tall vase with moist Spaghnum moss. This was about 3 weeks ago. The orchid has grown no roots and the leaves are deteriorating. Is there anything I can do to save this Cattleya ?

[aliceinwl]

I had good luck with rootless Cattleya doing a 24hour soak in Kelpmax and then potting them up normally and soaking the substrate in Kelpmax and using a it to water them for the next few weeks. If the leaves are stressed, in addition it would be good to keep it out of any direct sun and put a clear plastic bag with some ventilation holes over the whole plant / pot to increase humidity.

I’d also appeal to the seller to make things right. If they don’t fix things, I’d follow up with negative feedback on eBay. If it’s too late to provide feedback via eBay, there’s a vendor feedback sub forum here that can be used to call out good and bad actors.

Good luck!

[Orchid Whisperer]

With Cattleyas that have lost roots, I unpot them totally, remove all bark, moss, etc., hang the plant upright outdoors in a bright shady spot.

Warm to hot weather, moderate to frequent rain, usually is the best condition for recovery. This assumes your climate allows this type of treatment (if you live in Phoenix, AZ or Anchorage, AK, probably not a good idea).

Assuming the plant does not have a systemic bacterial, fungal or viral disease, and has at least some "eyes" that can start new growth, the plant will develop new growths by late summer.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by DenmanNJ

I have a large Cattleya that I got off of Ebay. When it arrived I unpotted it and saw that the roots were black and mushy. I trimmed them off and placed the Cattleya in a tall vase with moist Spaghnum moss. This was about 3 weeks ago. The orchid has grown no roots and the leaves are deteriorating. Is there anything I can do to save this Cattleya ?

If they arrived mushy, then it's possible that the seller didn't do things to ensure that the plant doesn't get into this shape. Or at least send the plant under better conditions and not such long shipping times due to maybe this crazy covid thing.

Trimming the mushy roots off was a good move for sure. What sort of deterioration have we got for those leaves?

I would probably have then sprayed some systematic fungicide (whole plant) - just in case, and then maybe go for the 'sphag and bag' method ----- not letting the plant touch any wet sphagnum ..... and to just keep the humidity up for the plant. And to not fully enclose the bag.

Also - not that it matters ----- I used to spell it 'spaghnum' myself ----- as in 'spaghetti'. But eventually noticed that they spell it as 'sphagnum'. So obviously not 'italian' hahaha

Anyway - all the very best!!!!

[Ray]

How to rescue plants with no roots

[Oyarzabal]

This is my experience. Not what the books tell you to do, but what works 100% for me. This will assume you have a bench full of orchid, or other plants that you can drench daily and that the bench is in a really shaded place with not wind draft. Get your plant an pot it in coconut coir, or the sawdust type. Use and stake and fix the plant, so it does not wobble, Cypress work the best for me. Place the plant under the bench in a place that will get wet every day.
Now, forget about the plant. It is like entanglement. The more you think in the plant the greatest chance it has to die. Check in a month or so. Most likely there are baby roots. Once you get roots, replant in your regular medium.
If the plant is completely out of season and refuses to root. Rex and schroederae taken a long time to root for me. Ignore and keep watering eventually they will root. This do not work with Violacea, or Aclandiae unless it is summer. Works fine for Brazilian bifoliates with the exception of schilleriana that hates to get their roots disturbed and can decided to go suicidal.