New Root!!! Bad Root :(

[TheCanfield]

Hello again all,
So I took a look at my baby the other day and this is what I saw... an new root... initially I was all excited that after my hacking and repotting (Click here if you want a refresher of what I did.) I finally have a new root starting



Although the new leaf on top is growing the others are looking bad


The smiley is because I was bored

Upon further inspection I noticed that the base of my brand new root is looking all black and nasty and after digging around a little the other roots don’t look any better at all



I feel as though there is something killing all my roots...I don’t know how its all fresh medium from my last repot ....what I want to know is what to do next ... and to hack off any and everything that is black dip the nub in a rooting powder and go from there but I don’t know if that would work.....my other idea is to try and air layer right above the bottom 2 leaves and once I have nice roots (if I get nice roots) repot...any help would be wonderful
I was so excited to see the new root all green and w/ a bit of waxy looking to it like the pictures show....none and I mean NONE of my roots look like that and its kinda disheartening hehe
ThanX Again!!!

[nenella]

I am not an expert but looks to me like your medium is too dry.. leaves look like they are in need of moisture too. Did you soak the bark before repotting?
If it was mine I would repot into a plastic pot and maybe add a bit of spagm to your bark mix to retain a bit more moisture.. good luck !

[OrchidTess]

I agree with Nenella it looks too dry. Looks like you have it in large Cattleya mix ? I would most definately add Sphagnum moss to that mixture.
The new green root tip is a good sign she's still alive, but the dehydrated leaves tell me she needs moisture.....how's the humidity around the plant??

[TheCanfield]

No. I forgot to soak the mix before potting.
I bought Orchid mix and it said on the bag that it was good for all kinds but i am relizing that your right its too large ill prob grab some finer suff i spray it every morning befor I go to work wetting the bark nicely and have started watering it throughly every other day and it doesnt appear to be getitng worse.

What is the deal w/ plastic pots compared to other pots...why are they always recomeneded???
and where in Jacksonville would i find KLN??

ThanX again for all the help.

[nenella]

plastic pots retain moisture as it doesn't evaporate as fast as a clay pot in which yours is in.

[TheCanfield]

aaahhhh..... i see
that makes sense...i do beleive im about to begin a repotting....again
Thanx!

[quiltergal]

Remember you didn't have much of a root system left when you last repotted. 3-4 roots aren't enough to support a plant that size. You will lose leaves. That's a given. As long as the ones that look bad are at the bottom I think you'll be OK. New root growth is a great sign. I also would stop misting the bark. I think that is what's causing the black spot. You're in danger of causing crown rot. You could also make a plastic bag tent to keep it a little more humid. Don't give up.

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[Ray]

Why traumatize the plant again by repotting it? Try this instead:

• Get the water in your sink running with tepid water.
• Place the pot under it so there is a lot of flow into the bark.
• Adjust the flow rate so the pot fills, but the bark doesn't float out of the pot.
• Leave it under the running water for 10-15 minutes, then remove it.
• Wait 30 minutes - the bark will be wet, but not fully saturated, so this allows the wood structure to "open up", sort of like a new sponge.
• Repeat the soaking process above.

At that point, the bark will be able to absorb water more readily, and you should be able to keep it moist. If not, put a layer of sphagnum on the top surface to help slow the evaporation rate.

[TheCanfield]

ok I am going to go w/ the soaking thingy and back off on my misting and prob create a tent and be patient and watch.....here is a pic I took and as you can see it its growing nicely ...I still don’t like that black at the base but we will see wont we hehe



Sorry it’s a little blurry I don’t have my tripod and super macro mode is sensitive

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[Ray]

The black at the base suggests that when the root was first emerging, that surrounding tissue picked up something and started to decompose.

Since then, it has apparently stopped and the root is growing nicely. You have nothing to be concerned about.