Angraecum help

[estación seca]

I know they're supposed to resent root disturbance, but I've repotted several with no setbacks. I use LECA, though. Bark is fine, too.

I would consider repotting into a narrower but taller pot so the roots can be completely buried. Then water so the pot never dries completely. You could water by soaking the whole pot for a few hours.

Don't be tempted to overwater to compensate. That won't work.

Those yellow leaves may all fall off, and it could look frightening. It the growing point is still good the plant should eventually recover. These are surprisingly sturdy plants. I have seen one almost the size of a Volkswagen.

Once it resumes growing be sure you fertilize regularly. I've found they grow much faster with fertilizer.

[groundpounder17]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I know they're supposed to resent root disturbance, but I've repotted several with no setbacks. I use LECA, though. Bark is fine, too.

I would consider repotting into a narrower but taller pot so the roots can be completely buried. Then water so the pot never dries completely. You could water by soaking the whole pot for a few hours.

Don't be tempted to overwater to compensate. That won't work.

Those yellow leaves may all fall off, and it could look frightening. It the growing point is still good the plant should eventually recover. These are surprisingly sturdy plants. I have seen one almost the size of a Volkswagen.

Once it resumes growing be sure you fertilize regularly. I've found they grow much faster with fertilizer.

Thank you for the detailed reply.

It was so healthy and green just about 5-6 weeks ago. The leaf shedding has been very rapid.

I may see what pots I have on hand, but I doubt I have anything narrow and tall. Seems that my preference has always been more shallow. I’ll repot tonight.

Would you recommend spraying the roots with physan 20 or disturb them as little as possible?

[estación seca]

I don't use any fungicides nor disinfectants prophylactically. I think they cause at least some damage. They also kill beneficial organisms. I don't think your original problem is rot.

Think outside the potting box. Your plant might fit into a translucent 1-quart or larger deli or yogurt container. If it's translucent you could see the roots. You can drill holes with a Dreml tool or similar.

[groundpounder17]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I don't use any fungicides nor disinfectants prophylactically. I think they cause at least some damage. They also kill beneficial organisms. I don't think your original problem is rot.

Think outside the potting box. Your plant might fit into a translucent 1-quart or larger deli or yogurt container. If it's translucent you could see the roots. You can drill holes with a Dreml tool or similar.

How high up the stem would you recommend planting it?

[estación seca]

I would make sure the lowest root is completely below the surface of the medium. That would put the bark near the lowest existing leaf. I wouldn't be surprised if the lowest existing leaf drops off relatively soon.

[groundpounder17]

Here’s a couple pics of the roots. I did trim them up a little, but they were not as bad as I feared. Unfortunately, two more leaves fell off during repotting.

[estación seca]

I should have told you not to trim the roots. Repotting gently seems to be OK but they're reputedly touchy about root disturbance.

I don't cut roots at repotting of any orchid. It's not possible to see which are truly dead without a microscope.

[groundpounder17]

Those pics are after I trimmed a few roots. They seemed most certainly dead and I didn’t trim that many. Hopefully, it will recover.

[Leafmite]

Someone at my orchid society has been growing one for many years. Most of the roots are now air-roots. He waters it very well daily. He has good humidity and plenty of fans running for his orchids. These really get large which is why I gave mine away when I was getting rid of the large orchids.

With the damage to the roots, I would let the roots heal for a few days before potting it. Before potting it, soak the roots, let them completely dry and then pot into dry medium. Do not water for a few days, then water as normal. I recommend rock as a medium so you can water often and not worry about the roots rotting. The larger the sesquipedale gets, the more it resents having its roots disturbed. Choose a pot that is porous...either a really large clay pot or a pot with plenty of holes. Give the Angraecum extra Calcium to avoid future fungus issues.

I was lucky that when I started growing Angraecums, there were some really good sources of information. The Angraecum Encyclopedia website was quite fantastic and there were some online papers by an expert (cannot remember his name). I also got very good advice from the vendor who sold me my first Angraecums. I could never have been successful without their guidance.

[estación seca]

I think pot choice will depend on typical humidity in the growing area. I use plastic without holes because clay, or pots with holes, dry out far too rapidly here. In a wet, humid area I would consider using clay.