Bulbophyllum fascinator Import

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DaylightFirefly

Hi Roberta, what about rotten roots? I just picked a couple phals from a flower shop bin and their roots stink. I cleaned them, and cut rotten ones off. Should I keep all roots including dead and rotten ones?

If there are some good roots, then you can trim the obviously bad ones. But if "rotten" means "rotten velamin" (the spongy coating of the root) you can just clean off that smelly bad velamin, leaving the stringy "core" of the root that can provide some hydration (not as efficient as a good one of course) and help anchor the plant in the medium (since if it wobbles the growth of new roots is inhibited). It's a balancing act. But if there are no good roots, best to just wash and clean up what you have because the plant has no other way to take up water. (The bottom line, how is it going to survive if it can't drink? And that goes double for Phals and others with no pseudobulbs... the plant can't do anything except cannibalize itself) And for many orchids, it's not obvious what is "good" and what is "bad" - as ES noted, some Bulbophyllum roots are brown naturally. Good, new Paph roots are also often brown.

[DaylightFirefly]

Originally Posted by Roberta

If there are some good roots, then you can trim the obviously bad ones. …

Thank you. That makes sense.

Phals with no roots or serious root rot I put in a glass of water leaves/head down. It grows aerial root in a couple of months and at that point could be potted.

Paphs and bulbos with no root did not make it in my home nursery. No matter what I do.