Mold on beallara roots - Orchid Board

Cattleya234 · #1 10-31-2020, 12:18 AM

I bought a beallara marfitch 'Howard’s Dream' a little while ago. I just took it out of the pot, and the moss was fairly wet. Most of the roots are fine, but a few rotted and started to mold. Can I use peroxide on the mold? Will that harm the roots? Will cinnamon work? This is a completely new orchid to me, so any care tips would be welcome too.
Thank you!

estación seca · #2 10-31-2020, 02:05 AM

Don't use peroxide nor cinnamon on any roots. They will likely damage them. Mold grows on dead tissue. It's not a problem for the plant, but dying roots are.

Intergeneric Oncidium hybrids, like this one, should stay moist but not sopping wet. Sphagnum can work well if it hasn't broken down with age and the grower doesn't keep it wet.

What kind of temperatures is it getting? Light? How are you watering it? Is the sphagnum spongy and light, or slimy and compacted?

Cattleya234 · #3 10-31-2020, 10:41 AM

Thank you for your reply! It stays between roughly 72-78F during the day and and 68-70F at night. It gets a few hours of direct (but weak) morning sun, and bright, non-direct light throughout the day. I mist it every morning and have a humidifier running nearby. I water it by soaking whenever the moss feels mostly, but not completely dry. The moss is somewhere between Light and spongy & slimy and compacted, but closer to the light and spongy side.

estación seca · #4 10-31-2020, 01:23 PM

It sounds as though conditions and your care are good. The misting is not necessary, particularly since you have the humidifier. I don't know why it has dead roots. I would continue as you are. Repot when it outgrows the pot, or the moss is breaking down, and wait to repot for new growth.