My air roots are dying

[Drtaylor83]

I have a NoID Phal that wants very badly to root into the air. They get a few inches the turn brown and die. I see other phals in businesses with impressive air roots so I know it can be done. I water the plant after the medium looks dry. Is there anything I can do to help these roots thrive? Maybe a spray bottle?

[MrHappyRotter]

Do you have any idea what your humidity level is? Spraying might help, but a lot of folks have issues when they get too much moisture on the leaves, so you'd want to take precautions against that.

[Plodde]

My experience with root tip dye off is either too much water or too little.
If the root tips are turning brown i would think it's too much water. Usually with mine, if the roots aren't getting enough water they will just stop growing but not turn brown.

[Drtaylor83]

My humidity in the house is 53 percent right now.

[turock]

Are the roots shrivelly and wrinkly before they stop growing, or are they still fairly plump? Wrinkles tend to mean the roots are too dry. I've seen dry roots that had dark tips spring back to life and grow again once conditions became more humid. To increase humidity, set up a small cool mist humidifier near your orchids, or group them together with other plants.

Are the roots inside the medium pretty healthy? I've struggled with stunted root growth on plants that have raging fungal infections. I had to get the infection under control before any roots would grow beyond "stump" level.

I help my mounted phals out a bit by putting some Spanish moss around the roots, especially when I have to bring the plants indoors. The moss retains just a bit of humidity, while allowing the roots to dry out quickly and adapt to an aerial habit.