AERANGIS ROOT ROT?

[thom]

hello orchid lovers....can anyone tell me what is going on with my aerangis rhodostica?

the roots are turning black one by one.
is this root rot?

As you can see the plant is mounted on cork bark and I mist the plant several times daily.

any suggestions what I can do to save this lovely little plant?

thanks so much for your opinions, comments and suggestions!
thom

[Arenalbotanicalgarden]

I've never had an aerangis but from looking at the overall condition plant and the right root in the photo, that is skinny, black but has a new "foot" emerging in green, my guess it's the nature of that plant.
Somebody who is addicted to them will show up with a proper answer soon.

[thom]

hello and thanks Arena... for your input.

the roots all strart out nice and fat and green. the plant flourishes then.

the roots then acquire that blackened look to them.

there are other roots behind the plant that have not blackened.

it's hard for me to think this plant should have roots that turn black?

thom

[Leafmite]

I only have two (Aerangis ellissi and Aerangis citrata) and not for very long (last fall) but the citrata's roots seem very sensitive to water quality and fertilizer 'burn'.

[gnathaniel]

I am very far from proficient with this genus but I've had a rhodosticta for about a year and haven't experienced this. Mine's in a hanging 2" perforated clay pot with a couple of broken wine corks, some ecoweb cubes, and a little bit of moss. I water it every 1-2 days when the weather is warm and about twice a week in the winter. I've had a couple of root tips stop or slow growth when I don't water for more than 5 days (like when I'm out of town) but they generally start back up with the watering. Overall growth is slow but steady.

Based on the symptoms and amount of algae on your mount I'd guess your plant might like to dry out a little more between waterings. If the algae grows over the roots it may be preventing them from performing normal gas exchange, which can lead to tissue death and colonization by opportunistic fungi and bacteria. Just my , though, maybe someone else with more knowledge of this species will chime in.

--Nat