Mounting a Rescued Phalaenopsis Orchid

[Froggle]

I recently bought a Noid Phalaenopsis & like many others found when I got it home that the roots were not in the best condition. A few were moist & rotten but the majority were dry & shrivelled - hollow with just a thin thread running up the centre. There were a couple of healthy air roots close to the leaves. I've added a couple of pics below:


The planned home for this orchid is a paludarium (like a terrarium but with the addition of an aquatic area). As the substrate in this set up is sphagnum moss that is always moist, I believe mounted is the best way to help this orchid live happily in this set up (I would love to try other varieties planted in the sphagnum).

The orchid will be mounted on small a piece of red gum (with sphagnum moss under its roots) so that I can move it (& its mount) easily around the tank whilst still ensuring the roots get air.

I have read the complete 'Phal Abuse Ends Here' thread & bits of several other threads. In order to recover from the abuse it has suffered, I think the I bag rescue method is in order with my orchid. As the mount is small enough to fit in a plastic bag with the orchid, I have decided to try to do this with the orchid already mounted on wood. I haven't found anything written about doing so & I am an orchid newbie so would greatly appreciate feedback.

I have mounted my orchid with moist sphagnum moss under the roots & placed it inside a plastic bag drawn loosely above the roots but under the leaves.
Below I have a couple of pics of the orchid on its mount:



As the Paludarium is home to a couple of very active Green Tree Frogs, I have decided to keep the orchid on a windowsill until it is healthy & firmly attached to its mount.

Many thanks for your feedback!

P.S I've finally managed to upload photos. Thanks for bearing with me on that one!

[WhiteRabbit]

If this plant has any good roots, I'd probably forego the bag. Just seems that it can create problems (mold), and should be used in extreme cases (no roots).

But, others may be of a different opinion, and have had success this way. So if general opinion disagrees with me, just ignore me

[Myrle Diefendorf]

When I "rescue" orchids from the sale section I usually soak them for a couple hours in a warm weak fertilizer solution, which usually makes the viable roots turn Greenland the dead ones hang limply. It also seems to help the leaves rehydrate. I cut off the dead roots, the set it outside on a shady porch, pot it the next day and wait for the miracle.

[Froggle]

Thanks Sonia & Myrle! I didn't pre soak before mounting - i should have! I might spray the roots with weak seaweed soln next time i spray. Many thanks for the tip!

[james mickelso]

I'm in complete agreement with Sonya regarding the bag. Bags should be used for dire emergencies. A little spag under the roots mounted should prove sufficient.