Help root care before repotting

[castalia83]

Hi all!
Finally i was able to find some bark from a local nursery, so today i've decided to repot my last purchase (the polka dots phal i bought a week ago from a shopping mall).
True to form, the medium wasn't the best: the roots core was "wrapped up" in a lump of sphagnum, all around some bark with quite a lot mold
I put the roots in warm water to eliminate all the sphagnum, then i cut the roots that seemed dried and empty and the rotted ones (i sterilized the scissors on the flame of a lighter).
Then i put the orchid upside down and sprinkle some cinnamon on the wounds.
I read that the cut roots have to dry themselves off a bit before repotting the plant.. is it correct?
Can i repot tomorrow in dry bark or i have to soak it overnight and then repot in humid bark?

Thank you very much for any help

[RosieC]

I usually repot same day, some people like them to dry a bit first.

I'm concerned by your comment about cinnamon though. Cinnamon on the leaves is good for wounds, but on the roots it's NOT good at all!

Some people use a tiny dab on the end of a cut, but I prefer to stay away from it on the roots, and certainly sprinkling it over them is not good.

Cinnamon is a desicant, which means it dries out what it comes in to contact with. This is good when you want to dry out a wound on the leaves to stop infection getting in (and there is something in the Cinnamon that helps stop infection, on top of the drying affect). However you really don't want to dry out the roots to that extent. It can really damage them

I would try and wash the roots again if you have put cinnamon on them generally (rather than just a tiny dab on the cuts).

[Ray]

I agree with Rosie on the cinnamon - great contact fungicide and desiccant, but not good to use on roots. I don't even dab the cut ends.

As to your bark question - I suggest that you NEVER pot into dry bark. Soaking overnight is unnecessary - pour boiling, or at least very hot water over it, wait 15-30 minutes, and repeat. The hot water expands the cells in the bark, causing it to hold more water, and once it has cooled, it's ready to go.

Now another comment: Phalaenopsis prefer a constantly moist, airy potting medium, If you're planning on going with straight bark, you may have to do a lot of watering! Adding some water-retaining sphagnum (maybe 25%) is probably a good idea.

[RosieC]

Interesting about the sphag in the bark Ray. If I use bark I have always used plain bark and in my environment it dries in about 7-10 days (less in hot weather).

These days I use plain Leca and water every 3-5 days because I prefer it to be airy and don't mind watering often.

I've never tried moss in the bark. I think this again comes down to environment.

[castalia83]

Thank you both for the cinnamon advise, i'm in a hurry to wash the roots
I read (in another orchid forum) that if a root cut is necessary (because of rot or dryness), the root system have to heal before watering the orchid, so it has to be repotted in dry bark for a week or so
Unfortunately i read a lot of contrasting tips about root care, thanks God finally i arrived here
I have no sphagnum, i will try to mix the bark with a little orchid mix (soil, ground sphagnum and minced bark).

The first phal i got (a Cambridge hybrid from a local nursery) seems to have plenty of bark in the pot and i'm watering it once a week.

[dounoharm]

I always pot in straight bark with phals and cats...they don't like the holes between the chuncks clogged with anything! I don't know what your conditions are in Italy, but you should be careful putting any sort of potting mix in with the bark...the plan is to water thoroughly, then to dry out QUICKLY with very fast drainage...anything you put in there to hold moisture will also encourage rot, so be careful! I prefer to put the plant on a gravel tray to encourage humidity....good luck!

[castalia83]

Originally Posted by dounoharm

I always pot in straight bark with phals and cats...they don't like the holes between the chuncks clogged with anything! I don't know what your conditions are in Italy, but you should be careful putting any sort of potting mix in with the bark...the plan is to water thoroughly, then to dry out QUICKLY with very fast drainage...anything you put in there to hold moisture will also encourage rot, so be careful! I prefer to put the plant on a gravel tray to encourage humidity....good luck!

Thank you too for your advise
I'm in the south-east of Italy (10a zone), generally we have humid winters and dry summers (yes, the opposite of what orchids love ).
Btw, i'm keeping the phals indoor... these months the humidity has never gone under 60/65% and the temperature (in March and now) is about 17/18°C during the day (indoor).
I have to say that i'm about 15km far from the sea (probably this influence the humidity, too).
The temperature never drops under 16°C during the year.

How i'm watering:
I put the pot in a larger container, then i pour the water into the pot from a carafe (I pour about 1L/1.5L of water).
I let the pot sit in the water for 15-30min, then I let it drain and check that no water drop is dripping from the lower holes of the pot before putting the orchid in its place.
Generally i also put couple of foil of blotting paper under the pot and i remove them after 1 hour or so, to be sure that the leftover water doesn't stagnate in the bottom of the pot.

[RosieC]

I think you'll find conflicting advice here as well. The problem is that different conditions lead to different things working in different places. It makes it really difficult until you work out what works for you.

Some people do like to leave them dry after repotting for the roots to heal. However if you do this I would still follow Ray's advice to pre-treat the bark with hot water. It will mean it holds more water later that way. Personally I just water as normal after repotting.

Your watering method sounds really like mine. I find that works well for me.

[RandomGemini]

I water thoroughly before repotting to make the roots more resilient to being handled and to make it easier to remove old medium from the roots and I always repot into wet bark.

Where I live, it's very dry, anything I can do to help the medium and the plant to retain moisture is worth doing.

[castalia83]

Today i finally repotted my phal.
I'll let the pics speak in place of me...
The roots have been in open air (indoors) since yesterday.
I'm quite concerned about that dark area in the "centre" of the root system (the area where all the roots sprout, i don't know the actual term ).
Is that rot?
Are the roots compromised?
I just cut some roots yesterday, didn't want to cut again otherwise i'd have cut all that dark area and my phal wouldn't have had any leftover root
As you can see from the pics, i put the orchid in only bark medium (i followed Ray's advice, putting hot water on the bark and then waiting until cooled before using it).
The roots that can be viewed through the pot walls seem green..
Do you think my phal has a chance to survive?
What i have to do now on?
Thanks for all your interventions