Phalenopsis dying (mouldy aerial roots) - help!

[geob]

Thank you everyone -

I have taken the orchid out again and the root situation is the one you can see in the attached pictures. I have to say it does not look very healthy to me, but I am not sure why it would turn like that either.

Is it save-able? Any ideas what to do?

Thanks!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

It may be salvageable.

Water less frequently. Keep on the warmer side for now, (70 F - 90 F).

Use larger grade bark.

Trim dead roots.

Don't know how bright it is where you grow, but try growing a bit brighter than what you've been growing it under. Be careful it isn't grown too bright or it'll burn.

Place in area with good ventilation.

[geob]

Thank you -

From the pictures - which of the roots seem dead?

I don't see anything black - the whiter ones have a paper texture when you touch them, and if you roll them between your fingers they part to show a 'string' inside them. Those are gone?

[Grautier]

Yes. The papery roots are already dead. You can cut them. If there are mushy ones, cut them. Those where you can see the 'string', cut the downwart part.

Let it all dry before repotting. You won't want the fresh cuts to rot. As you have gone this far: take a close look at the roots! Study them! You see how much moisture they are capable to store?! This is how an epiphyte without pseudobulbs but with succulent leaves and roots manages to survive a spell without rain. They are meant to do so and to dry inbetween.
Good luck.

[TZ-Someplace]

Every time I have seen a yellow leaf in between green leaves there has been an infection in the stem tissue on that side of the plant and the plant has eventually died, even after soaking the plant in systemic fungicide.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

With Phalaenopsis, as long as the roots are alive and healthy, all the leaves can fall off the plant and it will slowly all grow back anew.

If the inflorescence is alive and green with living meristematic tissue in between the floral bracts or nodes, you can use that to put keiki paste on and it will regrow keikis even without the leaves.

There are numerous ways to save a Phal, you just have to understand how and that it is a game of probability.

[Mountaineer370]

As a couple others have already mentioned, I'm noticing that your new potting medium looks like it has "fines" in it, tiny particles of an almost soil-like consistency. I can see a few chunks of bark, but the whole pot looks very tightly packed with medium, more so near the bottom. Even with all the holes, I suspect the roots of this plant are still not getting enough airflow.

As far as the health of the roots, it's really hard for me to tell from the pics. Many Phals will have whitish, yellowish, or brownish roots on the inside of the pot where they never see daylight, versus the ones near the outer edges which will look more green or silvery (in a clear pot). I am always very conservative in cutting off roots. If I think there's a chance they may serve some purpose, I'll leave them. I'd rather have a couple dead roots in the pot instead of cutting off a single viable one.

As far as watering, again it's difficult to say. My house in the wintertime is in the 20-to-30 percent humidity range, and I water my Phals anywhere from every other day to every four or five days, depending on the plant. I don't have "watering days," I look at each plant about every other day and judge them individually as to whether they need watering. In summertime, the indoor temps are about the same, but the humidity is much higher, and I water less at that time of year, which I realize is probably contrary to what many people have to do.

I can no longer see the pics in your very first post, but from a couple of later ones, I see what others are mentioning, that a couple leaves looked to be turning yellow even before the repot. That's not normal and may indicate something has been going on for a while, contributing to the decline of this plant, but it doesn't mean it's hopeless. Only time will tell. Give it proper light, temperature, and water. It does not need fertilizer for the time being.

[estación seca]

Phals are easiest to grow if you use large chunks of medium, water them a lot and keep them warm.