Phalaenopsis with stringy roots

[dianecty]

Hi again! I bought this mini-phal from Trader Joe's. At the time there were only a few roots. They looked sparse but ok.

I repotted it and the next day the flower drooped.

The leaves started looking dehydrated and so I watered it a little bit. After a week, I submerged the roots in banana tea for 24 hours and then rinsed it.

In the following days, the rest of the flowers drooped, then the buds.

Today, I cut off the spike below the flowers, depotted it and discovered that the roots rotted! I removed the rot.

And I put it in an old PET bottle with a little water at the bottom with only one root touching the water. Is this ok? What remedy would you suggest to save this plant?

Thank you!

[SouthPark]

diane --- you mentioned initially repotting the orchid, and then the flowers drooped.

It will be beneficial to focus on that repotting - such as pot type used, media type used, and how much (or even how little) water was then put into the media.

Assuming the orchid roots were kept wet (rather than kept dry for too long) and assuming temperature range for your growing is good ----- it is known that regular roots of orchids can run out of oxygen if overly moist or wet for too long.

So maybe focus on the state of the roots and state of the media. If temperature and humidity are good for the whole orchid (including temperature of the media and roots), then focus on not keeping the orchid's roots too moist or too wet for relatively long periods of time. Just how long exactly ----- not sure ----- but maybe NOT having regular roots very moist or wet for hours on end (is beneficial for orchids with regular roots).

[SouthPark]

In the tropics, I use a method like shown the attached image - which works nicely for me in the tropics.

The components seen in the image don't need to be followed exactly. It's a case of studying it, and apply some things seen here - depending on what you might find useful or effective.

The media doesn't necessarily need to be scoria (lava rock). You could choose (for example) bark plus perlite mix.

[estación seca]

The Phal abuse ends here.

[aliceinwl]

I’ve had the best luck recovering Phalaenopsis like this by just potting them up. There are lots of options. For Phalaenopsis this size, I like clear plastic slotted pots that are about 3 inches in diameter. I use a 5 part small grade orchiata bark, 1 part perlite, and 1 part charcoal mix. Then you can water by flushing (holding under a hose or glacier for 30 seconds or so) whenever the bark is dry (usually every 2-3 days in this set up) or you can water by letting it soak for 5+ minutes and letting all the water drain out (usually every 5-7 days in this set up). Then wait. I usually see signs of recovery within 1-3 months.

Commercially available coarse bark mixes or inorganic substrates like rock can also be used. I would tend to steer clear of miracle grow brand orchid mixes as it tends to be too high in fine particles for Phalaenopsis.

I really like clear pots because it gives you a good window as to what’s happening with the roots. I buy mine from repotme.com ( they also have great mixes) but you can make your own pots with pretty much any clear plastic container and a soldering iron. Just keep the pot small: you want one that will just contain the roots and stay moist no longer than about 7 days after a watering.

[dianecty]

Thank you everyone for the tips and insight.

How long would you say would it take for new roots to come? How can I encourage new roots?

I used bark mix medium and a plastic pot for this mini-phal. When I was at the store, I already saw that the roots were not so good but I really love green orchid flowers so I still bought it. Didn't realize it would deteriorate so fast!

[estación seca]

Encourage roots - high humidity, not wet medium. I keep an old aquarium with glass cover on hand for high-humidity situations like this. If you can put it in bright shade in some kind of transparent enclosure, it will eventually make roots.