Phalaenopsis has MANY dead/rotted roots; chance of survival?

[pharaoness]

I posted a thread about my Phalaenopsis recently with concern about its offshoot with buds because the original spike was dying away, so I wanted to know if the buds would bloom or just drop. Well I decided to go ahead and repot it in a fir bark/sphagnum moss mix (it has been in the same sphagnum moss it came with when I got it just over a year ago) and during the process, I noticed MOST of its roots rotted/died.

I went ahead and cut them all away using sterilized sharp scissors (did not put cinnamon on the cut areas) and potted it up. The spike started drying past the offshoot, so I just cut it off (it makes me sad that I won't see it bloom for a while) and topped that cut with ground cinnamon, hoping this would help the plant focus its energy on rebuilding a healthy root system.

Remembering the condition of the roots and stem kept bothering me, so I decided to take it back out and take pictures of it to post up here for some help. I then cut away as much of the black and all the parts I didn't cut last time, tried to pick as much of the dead remains of leaf that were still on it, removed it's lowest leaf (leaves are all not as stiff as they should be, but this one was a little worse than the others; the top baby leaf is as stiff as it should be) to the fullest extent I could without harming the actual stem (doing this revealed a root that was growing but didn't make it past the leaf I removed), washed the roots with room temperature water, and proceeded to take pictures of them which can be viewed at the link provided at the bottom of this post. After taking the pictures, I sprinkled ground cinnamon on all the areas I cut, and potted it back up in the same potting medium.

What concerns me is that the roots are alive are only near the bottom of the stem and two aerial roots near the leaves. All the area in between has so much black that I couldn't remove without fearing I'd harm the stem of the plant, and all the roots that were there died away... Is this normal? What can I do to improve the condition of my orchid?

Also, I have a close-up of one of its fully grown aerial roots, there seems to be a brownish color spreading on it, and the tip dried away (the tip has been like that for a while, so I'm not concerned about that), but at the point where it emerged from the stem to about 1/3 of its length it's as green as ever; is everything ok with it? And the little aerial root just stopped growing from the time I had concerns about the offshoot blooming, but it still has a light green tip, is it okay?

Also, I cut the stem back to just above the first node (leaving one full node on it, it is healthy), can an offshoot grow from it?

I live in Toronto Canada (temperatures are at about 10 C or 50 F daily), and my plant is at a west-facing window and gets indirect sunlight. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Link to photos:
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/p...rchidroots.jpg

[Izzie]

1. You might consider breaking your message into smaller parts/paragraphs- alot of people here are not as apt to read it when it's a wall of text.

2. As a beginner that's asked a lot of questions here and learned some things- I would not leave the stem, reflowering from a node takes a lot of energy from the plant. I'd cut it off and let the plant focus on growing more roots.

3. You might consider bagging the bare plant with a wet paper towel/ damp sphag moss to help it grow roots and recover. Others might chime in on whether that's the best idea. Ray has explained in detail here, VERY useful for rootless phals. Sphag-n-Bag

[pharaoness]

Thanks for the tip, I don't know why I didn't think of that myself (it looks so much longer the way I originally had it). I hope this is better. Thank you for the link you provided, it's very insightful. But do you suppose I could just put a bag over it and put it in shade? Also, is it true that cinnamon retards root growth?? If so, what should i do about the cinnamon I sprinkled on it?? Thank you

[Zoi2]

You should have enough roots to leave the plant in the potting media. The spag and bag is usually for NO roots.
Cinnamon dries tissue, it's not really a good idea to sprinkle it. Use a Q-tip or something to just dab the cut area.
Your roots probably rotted due to over watering, the moss held water in the center, but dried at the top. Be sure your new potting media drains and don't let the phal completely dry before you water again. The roots will tell you when to water. If they are green, you're ok. When they turn a silvery white, they need water.
Joann

[pharaoness]

Okay, so what do I do about the cinnamon I already sprinkled on?

How will I see the roots when it's in the potting medium?

Should I go buy the orchid medium (the ones that are pre-mixed and usually contain most fir bark), or is my sphag/fir bark mix okay (there is quite a bit more sphagnum in it, tho)?

Am I able to apply the rooting hormone I have for cuttings that is in gel format? The contents are- Indole Butyric Acid 0.4%, 5-Ethoxy-3-Trichloromethyl-1,2,4-Thiadiazole 0.01%.

Thank you!

[Zoi2]

A couple of waterings will probably take care of the excess cinnamon.
If you use clear plastic pots you can see the roots, otherwise, you just have to move a few bark chips every once in a while to check the roots.
I have never had any luck with spag, so I don't use it at all. Use the mix you have for a while and see if it works for you.
The rooting hormone used for most house plants does not do well with orchids. KLN or Super Thrive work well.
Joann

[Sandrilene]

Liquid seaweed is suppose to be excellent to promote root growth. If you are worried about some fungus or something try this: Kills Bugs and Fungus
10 drops dishsoap
1.8 ml cinnamon extract (about 1/2 tsp.)
2 cups tepid water

What size pot are you using? Smaller is better to decrease chances of rot.

It seems to work really well for my orchids. Rinse it after you do it tho.

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by pharaoness

But do you suppose I could just put a bag over it and put it in shade?

Absolutely. I see that piece of advice suggested quite often in this case. If you can put where it will get a little more heat, it will help with root growth as well.

[orchid60]

Hi everyone

What is dishsoap? I am from Australia, is this the liquid soap you wash the dishes with?

Thanks

[nibbler]

I believe liquid soap is washing up liquid for the dishes or hand wash. I know my mother uses washing up liquid (Fairy) on her plants to kill bugs. Never any problems.