Help needed, I trimmed the roots of my orchid and worried.

[macduy]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum so apologies if this question would have been better directed elsewhere.

I had foolishly trimmed the roots of my orchid, without doing proper research first. I noticed that the orchid's pot was full of roots that were yellowish towards the bottom and there was a second plant growing as well. I decided I wanted to untangle them and repot the second plant in its own plant.

During the process I noticed the roots were very tangled together and so mistakenly started trimming some of them off (I've since read that yellow roots are not sick, they are just not getting enough sunshine.

I'm now worried my orchid will die and I don't know if there's anything I can do to save it If you have any advice that would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Hai

[Ray]

My general recommendation is to leave the plants unpotted for a day so the cut ends can dry up, then repot and treat normally.

What type of orchid are we discussing?

[macduy]

Originally Posted by Ray

My general recommendation is to leave the plants unpotted for a day so the cut ends can dry up, then repot and treat normally.

What type of orchid are we discussing?

Thank you Ray, will try that. I'm not sure what orchid it is but I have a photo? Shared album - Hai Mac - Google Photos

[Orchid Whisperer]

That is a hybrid Phalaenopsis. Also referred to as a "moth orchid".

As long as it still has some roots, re-pot it and it should be fine.

A second plant growing in the pot is likely to be a "basal keiki", which is really just a branch off of the main plant. My recommendation is to not try separating it from the main plant, and let the branch grow.

[macduy]

Thanks a lot! I will repot and hope for the best. Thanks for identifying the orchid, we've had it for few years but never knew the type.

I won't attempt to separate the "second" plant and just leave it be.