safely cutting away rotten roots away

[stormx22]

i ask help for my orchid (in pest & diseases), and i got the advice i needed but i have no idea how to cut away the bad stuff from the good part. so if anyone can guide me through it in a smple and easy way i would be very happy. thank you

the picutres of the roots..... I don't think it going to make it. because i couldn't find a single good root.

[CoolPhrog]

Hi Storm, I'm glad you got the answers you were looking for! The thing to remember is that you don't want to cut too many roots or the plant won't be able to sustain itself. It's always better to cut too few than too many.

Can you take some pictures of your plant's roots and post it? That would be a big help

[Ray]

Basically, if it's brown and mushy, cut away. Personally, I trim back into the good part to remove any necrosis. Let it dry overnight, then repot.

Some will recommend cinnamon on the wounds, but I find that a lot of folks go overboard and apply too much, which can stunt root growth.

[stormx22]

how much cinnamon are you supposed to put?

[orchideric]

Do not cut anything if you can avoid it.

To tell the good roots from the bad just squeeze and pull. Live roots will be firm and a gentle tug does nothing. Dead roots will collapse in your fingers and even a light tug will pull away the outer layers leaving just a central fibrous thread at the core.

After you have squeezed and tugged and pulled away all the dead roots give the whole thing a rinse in running water. This will clean up things and also greatly cut the population of any pathogen if present.

Then and only then think about using a cutting tool to trim any roots.

If you have a Phalaenopsis it makes good practice because of the large diameter of the roots.

Hope that helps, Eric

[Brooke]

To use the cinnamon, only dab the tip of the cut end. I use a cotton swab dipped in cinnamon and then toss the swab.

Cinnamon will seal the cut end and let it heal. If used over all roots, it will keep the roots from absorbing moisture and they will desicate.

Brooke

[RosieC]

I avoid cinnomon on roots as it desicated the few healthy ones on one of my Phals (I probably used too much).

I've not had the need since, but I probably favour Listerine now.

[camille1585]

You recieved good advice on cutting the roots. I went to look at your thread in the pest and diseases section, and I think you should also remove as the bulbs which appear all brown and dried out/mushy. Follow the advice given there as well.

[cirillonb]

your question also implies what instrument is used to cut bad roots. You'll hear a lot of mention of single sided razor blades available in hardware stores. you would need to use a new one with each plant or sterilize it somehow.
I bought a small scissors sold by orchid supply vendors. I heat it on top of the stove for about 30 seconds. That should kill anything.In fact, don't use it immediately as you will burn anything you touch. It will cauterized the cut, however. You'll see recommendations to get it "red hot" Not necessary and that will destroy the temper of the steel.These scissors allow you to get into the tight spots in the root mass and help you cut only what you want. I am leary of wielding a single edge razor blade.
Nick