This phal with only velamin left of mushy roots

[Nekko]

Hello,
This is a phal of mine that developed root rot in the original moss it came in with only one drain hole. I pulled off the mushy roots and now only the velamin is left. Should I cut off the velamin too, or are they still viable without the outer covering?? The stem looks dark , should I cut the bottom of the stem a little , too? I soaked this in physan and will repot into a more airy medium, and keep my fingers crossed!

Thank you for any suggestions.

[camille1585]

The velamen is actually the mushy stuff you pulled off. It's the outer layers of the root, which absorbs water to transfer to the root itself. All those roots on your plant are dead.
Try to save it if you wish, but unless it's a special Phal I wouldn't even bother seeing the state of it. If by chance it does recover, it's going to take a very long time...

[ThePinkCucumber]

I'm with Camille here - unless it's something really special, I wouldn't invest my time in it, rather get a nice healthy new one.
Otherwise, a friend always had success with just letting the orchid sit on sphag moss and spraying the root area - never making it too wet, just damp. It might take months for it to recover though.

[MrHungx]

I agree with Camille on this.

If you still want to save the orchid, I would set it on top of a damp layer of sphagnum moss. When new roots start to grow, soak some sphagnum moss with seaweed extract and pot in a small pot. The seaweed extract will help stimulate root growth. I wouldn't cut the brown stem as I wouldn't risk cutting into live tissue.

[Brown_Thumb]

Oddly enough, I'm currently dealing with a similar situation with a phal of mine. Mine looked similar to yours. I cut the black tips but kept the weak roots. I re-potted in a mix of 75/25% fir bark to moss.

I already have a thread going, but I'm getting really nice root growth. I know I'll need to trim the damaged roots later, but I'm focusing on new roots so that when I cut the damaged ones it won't be as much of a shock to the orchid. I hope that we both have good stories to tell in a couple of years.

[Nekko]

Thank you, all for your responses. And, yes, Camille, the velamin is what I pulled off! What was I thinking?
Ha.
Thank you, Mr. hungx , Pink Cucumber and Brown Thumb for the suggestions. I do want to try and save this because it had beautiful blooms. I am just a beginner, and I would like to experiment with different methods to save a sickie. It's the nurse in me. 😊