Newly Mounted Brassavola Orchid

[CindyLouWho]

Hi,
I’m new to this and new to orchids. I recently purchased a Brassovola Orchid and had it mounted on cork with some moss. It’s winter here in Northern NJ. I have humidifiers running and I submerge my orchid in water wvery morning, it’s in a Southern room. I just trimmed some dying roots and I’m not sure if they are dead from under or over watering? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Cindy

[Laticauda]

Did you intend to post a picture?

[CindyLouWho]

As I said, I am new to this so hoped this worked!
Thanks

[Laticauda]

I'm not experienced with these but I know photos will help whoever can give you guidance.

I'm eager to hear what they have to say in case I ever start to care for these in the future.

[Roberta]

The middle photo shows the most, I think. It appears that the plant has lots of healthy roots. However, they will not attach to the mount - only newly emerging roots will do that. You could put some sphagnum moss over the exposed roots, to keep the plant going until it attaches to the mount, However, there is such of mass of roots (that probably were in a pot) I fear that you may lose more than you gain from this approach. If this were my plant, instead of a mount I would pot it in an open basket (either wood or plastic) with large bark, and let it go in whatever direction(s) it wants. The mounting approach tends to work better with a small plant - just starting to put out new roots, where you can clearly see the direction of growth..

I used the plastic basket approach for a small Brassavola nodosa, that has exploded, spilling over the edges and out the holes, that puts on a fantastic display each summer.

[CindyLouWho]

Thank you Roberta! I also sent the pics to the grower she thought it looked overwatered and suggested misting it every three days! I get so attached to them!

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[Roberta]

Originally Posted by CindyLouWho

Thank you Roberta! I also sent the pics to the grower she thought it looked overwatered and suggested misting it every three days! I get so attached to them!

I think if you use the basket-and- bark approach (doesn't have to be super-large, but you do want an open mix), tap it so that the bark works its way around the roots, you won't have to worry about over-watering because it will dry out fast, giving the wet-dry cycle that these really crave. Misting doesn't do much... much better to water it well, then let it dry out to nearly dry, then repeat. How often depends on your conditions (light, humidity, temperature) so you'll just have to observe it until you get the pattern down.

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[No-Pro-mwa]

Mine is in a shallow 5 inch pot and I try and water it every day. However my humidity is very low.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I think you cut off good roots. Orchid roots are very different from those of most plants. You will figure it out.

Fortunately, this is a tough plant. It puts up with a lot of abuse. If you give it plenty of light, and let it get dry between waterings in the winter, it should do fine. In the summer, when it is making new roots and new growth, you should water it every 1-2 days on this mount.

It is native over a huge amount of terrain in southern México to Central America. Some of these places get no rain for more than 6 months in a row during a warm winter, and have very low humidity. It isn't a good idea to treat it this way in cultivation, though.

[CindyLouWho]

Thank you so much for your input! I originally was told to water when the moss was dry. The moss was dry once a day! I’ll keep my fingers crossed I did not kill it!