I'm too new for such extensive root problems on my dove orchid.

[UsagiGreenPaw]

Ive had this orchid for 18 days and went to repot it last night with some medoum from repotme.

Before I repot it though, I need some help with these roots. A lot of them were obviously dead and i could pull the outer sheath off like it were made of paper. I cut those obvious ones off. The remaining ones...I'm unsure. I think they are dead, but I dont want to go mutilating a bunch of perfectly find but older roots.

I soaked it last night and many of the roots are softer, but not plump. Probably dead? No more roots readily shed their skin, but when I used my fingernail to scrat h away at a root, there was a stringy inner bit. Automatic sign it's dead?

So, I'm hoping there is a way to pamper this one back to health. My sharry baby couldnt be happier, and I'm not sure if I did this to the roots or if it came dehydrated. I have watered it once in the 18 days.
Also! It has some tiny bulbs that were sitting under the bark medium it came in, and they are soft and/or have soft spots. One of the bulbs I accidentally stabbed while checking moisture and now that area is soft. Whoops.

Thank you for the hand holding.

[Roberta]

Those remaining roots look alive, or at least not rotten. Leave them - even if not great, they can hydrate the plant by passive capillary action (think of water working its way up a string) and also, they will hole the plant firmly in the pot (very important) while new ones develop. If you just got the plant, you are not responsible for root rot... growers tend to sell plants that are ready for repotting last year... they don't get paid to repot, so generally good to repot all new plants as soon as practical. So pot it up. Remember, with new potting media, it's going to need to be watered much more often because it will dry out faster (highly desirable) This one does not want to go completely dry, but it does like the wet-dry cycle which draws air into the root zone.

[Fishkeeper]

Just treat it as normal, being sure to keep it damp. It'll grow new roots just fine.

[UsagiGreenPaw]

Ok. Thank you for examining.
I did snip a few live roots. They werent super plump and green inside, but werent hollow or brown inside either. The middle bit hadnt shrunk away from the sides yet.

I'll leave the remaining roots and get it potted ASAP. Do i need to put anything like ground up plain uncoated aspirin on open wounds or anything? Someone else on another forum working with root problems recommended spraying the roots with fertilizer water, but sometimes there is some merit to just letting your plant be in the soil/medium to do its thing.
Bag it?

I think this one will be fine with some tlc and extra watching. I love my tall orchid and whatever it takes.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by UsagiGreenPaw

Ok. Thank you for examining.


I think this one will be fine with some tlc and extra watching. I love my tall orchid and whatever it takes.

No special treatment needed. It has been out of the pot long enough for any "wounds" to have dried. There are plenty of decent roots to maintain the plant, no need to bag. Just pot it up in fresh bark (If the vendor suggests a "Cymbidium" mix, it wants to stay a bit damp but not soggy) When you water, let the water run through the pot (which will flush out bad stuff and pull air into the roots zone) Fertilize lightly with your other plants (once weekly, weakly is a good goal) but otherwise no special treatment there either. It'll grow new roots as it does new growth.

[Orchid Whisperer]

1. Read as much as you can online about the care of this species. Do that before you pot.

2. Pot it once in the medium you choose. Frequent repotting is an orchid killer. Once you pot it, leave it be, in the pot and medium, for a couple years unless something dire happens.

3. Skip spraying the plant with anything other than water for a while after you pot it. I recommend no water for a few days after you repot, allowing any root injuries to heal. Skip the aspirin unless you have a headache. Also skip the fertilizer water. After the plant seems stable in it's pot, you can try a kelp extract to stimulate root growth.

[estación seca]

Especially wth terrestrial orchids that don't go dormant, do not repot unless you see new roots growing from new vegetative growth. These make roots only occasionally, and repotting at the wrong time is harmful.

Peristeria make new roots from new growths at the same time new growths are forming. This is the only time they make roots. This tends to be in spring, when temperatures warm up. Here in Arizona, I have been getting two growths per year, because my warm season is so long.

Old pseudobulbs here have not made new roots, ever. All the new roots form on new growths. If you forget to water, or kill the new roots, the new growth will die quickly. Depending on the size of the plant, it will try to grow again. If you keep killing new growths, the entire plant will soon die.

The pseudobulbs last a number of years, depending on their size and how good the care is. Eventually old pseudobulbs, and the roots attached to them, die.

The roots deteriorate with each passing year, and I suspect they aren't working very well after a few years. However, I can't tell which are good and which are bad. So, when I repot my Peristeria, I always leave all the roots and cut off none of them at all - even if they look bad.

If you repot a Peristeria when it is not making active root growth, you will unavoidably kill some of the older roots. The plant will not make new roots for some time - not until it begins making a new growth. In a cooler climate, the plant may not decide to grow until next April or May. If you kill too many old roots, the plant may die before it decides to push a new growth, and form new roots.

This is why it is very important to read about plants before buying them. In a previous message on Peristeria I gave links to two good sites explaining Peristeria culture.

I might add the above information has also seemed to apply to Phaius and related genera, and Anguloa.