Help! Variegated vanilla orchid rotting. - Orchid Board

eccentricafterglow · #1 07-12-2010, 10:24 PM

I'm new to the forums, but I have been maintaining orchids for years.

Anyways - the problem: I have a vanilla orchid that started to rot because I think I was misting it too much. I was wondering if you guys knew a proper way of getting rid of the rot for good and planting it so it can survive?

I already cut off the rotting part of it (with a sterilized scissors), as you can see on the bottom. I have cinnamon, but would rootone work for this too? Or perhaps a bacteria or fungicide? Should I put rootone on a few of the air roots? Should I pick off more leaves and cover it up with potting medium for the roots to grow? Just really unsure - but I don't want to let this one die!

CTB · #2 07-13-2010, 06:42 AM

Welcome to the Orchid Board! I have one and wanted to repot it and was told to repot in African Violet Soil.
I'd use the cinnamon for the cuts, but since it grows from cutting the hormone would work if you are planting a cutting from it. I mist mine once a day and its 90 degrees. it is inside in a North window.Someone with more experttttttttttt will answer I'm sure.

eccentricafterglow · #3 07-13-2010, 05:41 PM

I put cinnamon on the rotting end of the plant, and just laid the plant onto of the hummusy soil with the air roots touching the soil, hoping it will grow back. We'll see I guess.

This is the 2nd one for me that will bite the dust if it decides it doesn't like it's new surroundings.

RobS · #4 07-14-2010, 11:00 AM

That's what I would do. The medium looks like it maintains a lot of water / humidity. This could be to much depending on your water regime. I typically repot my plants asap into my own medium that fits the way I water my plants. The best thing to do is either modify your watering so that the pot almost dry before rewatering or use a medium with better irrigation.

Maybe Vanilla is very humid to grow then I could be wrong.

trdyl · #5 07-15-2010, 02:09 AM

If you want to use a rooting hormone it needs to be in liquid form. Superthrive or KLN are the 2 most popular. Rootone is way too strong for orchids.

jenmonkey · #6 07-25-2010, 10:52 PM

I'm something of an orchid newbie as well, but, strangely, the one orchid that I seem to be having uncontrollable success with is my Vanilla Planifolia! Vanilla grows naturally up the trunks of tall trees in extremely humid tropical climates, and as such, most of its root system is air-root. The medium you are potting your Vanilla in seems very dense. Mount it on bark or plant in large, loose bark mixture, and mist frequently in the mornings with a weak fertilizer solution to get the vine growing healthily. Vanilla is not like most other orchids. They require a high amount of humidity to flower and thrive, so an average of around 80% humidity is perfect for them.

Mine is crawling happily around my bathroom, with a north-east facing window and an additional humidifier (I live in central California, so the average 55% humidity is waaaay too dry for my darling Vanilla orchid.) Basically, your orchid needs air at the roots! And then humidity!

My biggest challenge with my Vanilla is keeping it humid enough but avoiding mold, so I frequently change the potting bark and try to occasionally get lots of air flow. However, Vanilla doesn't need much light, so you might also be sunburning yours. And a stake isn't going to be enough for a vine that grows to 40 feet or more, so you'll want to trellis it or give it a wall to climb up.

That's about all I can offer right now. My tiny 4" plant has grown to about 12" of healthy, happy, plump, green vine in the 4 months that I have had it. I'll consider it a great success if I can get a single flower from it someday...

vmijct · #7 07-27-2010, 12:29 PM

You can also plant it in a well draining compost mixture. Let it dry between waterings. Mist it in the AM like Jenmonkey says. fertilize once per week with 20-20-20, one tablespoon/1gal. I use rainwater. I mount mine on a tree fern post. they seem to like that. check out my posts of my vanilla blooms and greenhouse. It took me lots of failures as well and I just had a varieagata with rot this month. I cut the rot off. Cut the 3 bottom leaves off. buried the 3 bottom nodes under about 1in of the compost mixture. mist daily. do not over water. bright indirect light. have fun.