Can I save my Vanilla planifolia??

[LauraGrace]

I recently repotted my vanilla and now the roots are rotting!! The base of the plant started to brown, then get worse, and I just checked some of the roots and they are all shriveled. I'm new to vanilla, so I took suggestions from online on how to repot. I put it into a mix of African violet soil, perlite, and small bark. I'm afraid the the soil has been staying too wet. The aerial roots are still healthy looking, but it is a young plant, so there are not very many. What should I do??

[Leafmite]

I think you already know what to do.
Mix sand and perlite into your mix to help it drain better and then replant and let the aerial roots start over. It should be fine.

[TeresaE]

I'm growing my in spaghnum and it's doing well. Hmmmmmmm....

[lepetitmartien]

Something obviously went wrong. Vanillas don't like to have wet roots in these situations:
- if they are not growing, which happens in winter when light is too low, but yours should be growing like mad now so it's something else.
- or if it's too cold, the heat should be higher than 18°C. They can live under but won't do much and the risks of an accident are high.
- Cold on wet roots is the most assured way to kill a Vanilla.

Clean whet it to be cleaned, let it dry a few days (not under the sun) and repot it in sphag to start roots or in a mix for terrestrials that you pump with stuff to compost (bark, sphag…) It should be like a forest bed, light, and profund, and able to dry.

As it lost its roots, plant at least 3 knots after removing the leaves. It'll grow new ones in a few weeks. Keep air humidity high.