Need urgent help with a brassia

[Goodkoalie]

Hi all, I got a brassia last weekend. It has been on my bathroom windowsill, where I have been carefully watering it, but it seems to have gotten root rot. My took it out of it's pot and saw it had no healthy roots it does have 2 new bulbs growing though. Since I had trouble keeping it dry with bark, I am now just growing the plant in te pot with no medium. The current older bulbs also are squishy and have a brown spot. Is there anyway to save my plant?
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Should I cut the roots off?


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[james mickelso]

Are you sure the roots are all bad? The older pbulbs are bad? The leaves look too good for the pbulbs to be compromised. The roots of brassias and all oncids are thin and numerous and look terrible. And yes most people over water their orchids. If the root is hollow, or absolutely rotten, cut it off. But if it is firm, leave it. Pot it in a pot that will just accommodate the root mass with an inch of room around the edge. Put some gravel/broken pottery/foam peanuts under the center of the root mass and pot it with very loose moss or medium bark. You can add sponge rock or perlite if you want more humidity around the roots. but at no time should the roots stay wet. Just damp is good. Get some seaweed additive and use it. The pbulbs have enough stored energy to start growing new growth so you don't have to do anything but keep it warm and give it medium light levels. Light is good if the shadow of your hand on a surface 1 ft away is soft and indistinct. And...damp, not wet.

[VMStearns]

Quick note...if you add packing peanuts to the medium, test them first to verify they are not made of corn starch. These will dissolve into a gooey mess.

[Optimist]

The roots look good enough. If they are like a string with rotting paper over them, they are rotted. Those roots are old, but the plant will put out new roots when a new pseudobulb starts.

Roots have a life cycle. New roots start with new bulbs. I think the best you can do is cut off the flower spikes, give it nitrogyn fertilizer, and allow new growth. Or, plant it, enjoy the flowers, then work on getting new bulbs later.

You get growth with a combination of water, sunshine or light, air, and nutrients. Just go to any growing guide to find out how much you need. Orchids grow very slowly, so don't try to rush it.

---------- Post added at 06:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:40 AM ----------

In fact, I now see 2 new pseudobulbs forming, so don't cut the flower spikes, just get it into some bark and water it when the bark gets dry. I prefer clay pots, but many here go for clear plastic.

Don't fret. Most orchids die from people who keep worrying and fiddling with them.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I also recommend just sticking them in an appropriately sized pot and just growing it out. That's the kind of roots I get from Oncs when I purchase them from South American countries. I always pot them up without removing any of the roots, and I just grow them as if they were fine, and they grow new roots within a couple months.

You may choose to keep or remove the spikes. I recommend removing them so that the effort goes into growing new shoots and roots.

Brassias are not difficult to bloom. Once you know they are capable of blooming, they bloom pretty much like clockwork when grown right.

Grow in small grade bark.

Needs moderate indirect bright light.

Intermediate to warm temperatures (55 F - 90 F). For you, I recommend growing it on the warmer side for now (60 F - 90 F).

Moderate humidity (60% - 70%).

Moderate air circulation.

Dry out lightly between waterings.