Root rot vs. dehydrated, and new orchids with crazy roots

[Piper23]

I took everyone's advice that my orchids were dehydrated and I slightly increased the frequency of watering based on the change in the weight of the container. Most seem to be fine (pics attached), but one developed root rot and died.
Advice for avoiding root rot while still providing adequate hydration?
There is a picture of the potting media that came with the plants (they were gifts). Better options?
They are in a window that faces east here in New England.

The other pic is of two that came to me today from someone that bought them and left them be. How do I start to take care of these given the crazy-long roots?

All and any advice is welcome!

[Ray]

Water does not cause root rot.

The three most common things that end up with rotted roots (for the most part, healthy roots won’t rot) are:

• Suffocation due to too compact of a potting medium.
• Damage that has left an opening for pathogens
• A drastic change in root zone conditions.

[Mountaineer370]

If I haven't said so already, welcome to the Orchid Board, Piper 23.

I remember your previous thread about receiving these orchids as a gift a year ago, and detailing for us the care they have received since you got them, including that you watered once a week. I did not post in that thread but agree that those orchids all looked dehydrated, some a little worse than others.

You also said, quote, "I re-potted them last month for the first time. I trimmed dead roots but there were active roots."

It has been just a little over three weeks since that post, and you mention that since then, you have slightly increased watering based on the weight of the pot. Trust me when I say three weeks of just a little bit more water is not enough to cause any of those plants to get root rot and die. There was something going on way before now.

I wonder about what type of media they were potted in, and for how long, before your repot a month or so ago. In your photos, they all appear to be in pots with chunky media and plenty of drainage holes, but was that always the case? Can you be absolutely sure that the roots you cut off were dead? If they were in the center of the pot, just having a brownish color does not necessarily mean they are dead.

As to your two new orchids, the crazy long roots are called aerial roots, and they are common on many types of orchids. I don't recommend trying to force them into the pot.

If you haven't come across it already, there is a "sticky" thread in the Beginner's section of the forum, found near the top, above the new posts, called "The Phal Abuse Stops Here." Don't be put off by the title of it. It contains lots of advice for beginners.

I'm sure others will chime in here. Best of luck to you going forward. I don't think anyone here can claim to have never killed an orchid. We learn as we go, and you'll find what works best for your plants, in your growing conditions.

[Paphluvr]

The mix you got with the orchids should be fine. However, was it moist in the bag or was the mix dry? Fresh mix does not hold water as well as when it's been in the pot a while. It's a good idea to pre-moisten it before use. I use a plastic box with a lid (think shoe or sweater storage box), put your mix into it and pour some boiling water over it. Cover and give it a good shake, than wait a day or two before use. The water and steam should have moistened all of the mix. You just want it moist, not wet. You could also do this directly in the bag of mix and then reseal it but it's harder to judge the amount of water.

[Piper23]

Thank you!

[Piper23]

I'm back

Most of the orchids I inherited are doing better and are growing leaves and stems- see picture 1). .

I have one that is not faring well (the other three pics are all from this one). Four nice leaves are turning yellow/brown one by one. They are in a very air-friendly potting medium (picture). I am taking the advice of watering by the change of weight rather than by schedule. The orchid in the picture below still has a very damp root system despite the airy bark and infrequent watering. I tried the Kelpak for one hour followed by repottting but this is the poor guy two weeks later (after the third leaf started to yellow.

Advice is always welcome!

[Dalachin]

As others have noted, who knows what it suffered through before you received it. Some phals languish for a long time and never recover. If the others are doing well with fresh bark and increased water, I would count that as success.

[Roberta]

Nobody bats 1.000, especially with rescues. 3 out of 4 is definitely still a win!

[tmoney]

howdy,

not sure if it was mentioned elsewhere, but those pots seem too big for your plants. in my humble estimation that was/is part of the problem. anytime we have too large of a pot, the roots tend to die.

if you want to avoid rot then plant em up into the tiniest pot possible (way smaller than you would think) and then the roots will take up all available moisture. in those big pots, you water (perhaps soak once a week) and all that excess moisture sits for too long, even with bark. having some aerial roots develop due to a small pot is better than having all the roots die!

anyways, i wouldn't mess with em anymore for the season unless one clearly needs an emergency repot, but next spring i would start potting them down a lot. best of luck!!

edit to add, i agree that saving any rescue orchids is a win, so good on you for sticking with them and keep up the good work!

[Dusty Ol' Man]

I would say that two weeks is hardly enough time to see results from a Kelpak soak. More like six weeks in my experience. We all lose one now and then. Nothing to fret over, just keep working at it. Go to Ray's website and read all the free info offered there. First Rays LLC