HELP! My whole orchid leaves fell off!!

[camille1585]

Unless this plant is special to to for one reason or another, I'd just toss it. While it can maybe put out a basal keiki, chances are slim. I've tried 3-4 times, with no success. After a month or so the roots died as well.

If you do try to save it, keep watering down to a minimum. With no leaves to draw up moisture it's easy to overwater. Repotting may be a good idea, but unless there are few roots in the pot, i would not try to bury the aerial roots. They're not adapted to a more humid environment, and may rot. Better to leave them out and give them a daily misting.

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[RosieC]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Repotting may be a good idea, but unless there are few roots in the pot, i would not try to bury the aerial roots. They're not adapted to a more humid environment, and may rot. Better to leave them out and give them a daily misting.

Yes, I didn't make that clear in my post. I was sort of working on the assumption that not much is left in the pot. If the roots in the pot then leave the aerial ones as they are in the air.

[manna01]

Thanks everyone for your useful feedback!

I will leave the pot containing the roots as is and see how it goes. No harm in doing that anyway - apart from visitors who might think I am crazy!

The roots have always grown that way over the past five and a half years - I have never attempted re-potting as I was always paranoid that I would kill the plant.

Apart from a bit of water and fertiliser every now and then, is there anything else I should be doing? I read somewhere that crown rot can be treated with Hydrogen Peroxide?

Thanks again.

[violetta]

Yes, you can try to treat crown rot with Hydrogen Peroxide, but in this case there's no crown.
I'd pot the roots in a clear pot, as others have said, and keep watering them. You have nothing to lose and the plant might grow a basal keiki from the stem.