Rotted roots or normal ?

[chantrelle]

I would like to know if these are bad rotted roots or if they might only be stained from the potting medium, which was fine bark.

As I know very little it is hard for me to say... But it does not seem mushy when I touch.

It is an Oncidium Wilsonara Kolibri.

I just reported it in LECA but now I have doubts and wondering if that is rotted roots, maybe I should put it back in fine bark


Wilsonara roots by chantrell99, on Flickr


Wilsonara roots 2 by chantrell99, on Flickr

[Judi]

It's hard to tell from a picture, but the roots don't look good to me. What does the plant look like? The pbulb in the last picture looks wrinkled. If the roots are dead you can see the pbulbs and leaves eventually die with the pbulbs wrinkling and shriveling.

[Salixx]

The look rotted to me. Are they squishy and does the outer layer pull off easily? If yes, they are dead. You can leave them on though to help anchor the plant a bit while you wait for new ones to grow. How long have you had it?

If they are rotted, I wouldn't personally put it back in something that didn't work. That said, if you just got it and feel confident that fine bark works for your growing style, you might consider doing it again.. Oncidium types are usually very forgiving in regards to lost roots. I would leave it in the LECA if that is what you are comfortable with.

That said, are you growing in LECA as part of S/H? If not, you may need to be prepared to water quite often once the roots re-establish. Oncidiums don't like to dry out and are water hogs. They also don't like to bet completely wet, or their roots rot and can sometimes be a tricky balance between the two. I really like S/H for them as it takes the guess work out for me and all of mine have taken to it like a fish to water.

Also, it's root base is currently weak. No matter what else you do, I would make sure it is secure in the pot and doesn't wobble much. They grow roots faster if they are firmly in place.

[chantrelle]

Originally Posted by Judi

It's hard to tell from a picture, but the roots don't look good to me. What does the plant look like? The pbulb in the last picture looks wrinkled. If the roots are dead you can see the pbulbs and leaves eventually die with the pbulbs wrinkling and shriveling.

Here are pictures of it

Wilsonara Kolibri old pb by chantrell99, on Flickr

Wilsonara Kolibri by chantrell99, on Flickr

---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Salixx

The look rotted to me. Are they squishy and does the outer layer pull off easily? If yes, they are dead. You can leave them on though to help anchor the plant a bit while you wait for new ones to grow. How long have you had it?

If they are rotted, I wouldn't personally put it back in something that didn't work. That said, if you just got it and feel confident that fine bark works for your growing style, you might consider doing it again.. Oncidium types are usually very forgiving in regards to lost roots. I would leave it in the LECA if that is what you are comfortable with.

That said, are you growing in LECA as part of S/H? If not, you may need to be prepared to water quite often once the roots re-establish. Oncidiums don't like to dry out and are water hogs. They also don't like to bet completely wet, or their roots rot and can sometimes be a tricky balance between the two. I really like S/H for them as it takes the guess work out for me and all of mine have taken to it like a fish to water.

Also, it's root base is currently weak. No matter what else you do, I would make sure it is secure in the pot and doesn't wobble much. They grow roots faster if they are firmly in place.

I actually just bought it 2 weeks ago. I got it repotted on site (in fine bark and perlite as it was before) therefore the employe there saw it. I had not seen any Oncidium roots before, so I did not think much of these roots.

But when I started to search more about S/H I saw many pictures of Oncidium roots. This is why I took pictures of the roots when I repotted in the LECA to grow in the S/H way.

I have sent an email with pictures of the roots and the pseudopulbs to the owners of the nursery today. Maybe it is not their policy to sell plants in that shape an the employe was careless ?

Hopefully, the plant will do well (recover) in S/H.

[Optimist]

My understanding of Oncidiums, and possibly most sympodials, is that once the growth with a Pseudo-bulb has gone through it's life cycle, (bud, grow, store energy, flower) they are through and really stick around to feed the rest of the plant. The growing or new lead part of the plant cannibalizes the store of sugars stored in the bulb or leaves of the plant. Soon the leaves go yellow and die, and the old bulb is a back bulb, just providing food for the rest of the plant. It no longer grows, or needs to eat, so it does not even need roots. In these cases, the only roots are on the new or newer bulbs. Obviously, if the old back bulb does not need roots, the water eventually makes them soggy and they rot. I tend not to cut them because they provide additional moisture to the root zone of the new budding pseudo-bulb. The only time I cut them(dead roots) off is when they are twisted so badly I can't get old media out.

So, the old bulbs are going into their golden age, delivering nutrition to the young growing bulbs. Are the roots better over there?

If the roots under new immature growths are rotting then you have got trouble.

[Salixx]

Unfortunately, I have gotten more orchids with poor roots than I care to count though I would expect an employee to at least mention it to you before you left since they repotted it right there.

As long as it is stable, it should be fine. I have put a few rootless Oncs in s/h and few months later they have roots everywhere.

[chantrelle]

Optimist, as I'm very new to the Orchid world I can't tell if the roots under the young pb are good and just stained. However, when I took a close look it seemed to me that new roots were just emerging.

Salixx, good that is at less good news. Do you for the first few weeks lower the light intensity as recommended on First Rays ?

Transplant "Adaptation" - First Rays LLC

I have found that the ideal set of conditions for a successful transition include all of these:

The plant, and especially it’s roots are healthy and strong to begin with.
The plant is actively growing brand new roots.
The roots have been cleaned of all old organic matter.
Mineral-free water is used to soak the medium and water the plant.
The plant is kept very warm – in fact, I use bottom heat for all new plants these days.
The plant is kept shady.
The plant is kept in very humid conditions.

[snowflake3111]

You did not have the plant in S/h long enough to see it recover. I have put plants with no roots or all rotten roots in s/h with in a few months I get healthy new roots. Once the plant adjust the plant will do well.

[Leafmite]

In my experience, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if roots are actually healthy. When I am uncertain, I soak the orchid's roots overnight and then gently squeeze them between my thumb and finger. If they feel firm, the roots are good. Now that it is potted, though, I would leave it alone. The roots will help anchor the plant (as someone has already said).

And do not worry about being new to this hobby. I find that I am still learning. Constantly.
Good luck!

[chantrelle]

Leafmite,

I'll keep your tip to check the root in mind for next time.

Thank you all for the good advices and reassuring news.