i beg for some help!!!

[OrchidBlossomss]

i don't know what happened or why, but i saw the leaves on my two orchid withered a bit and when i looked inside all the roots were dead and dry. i water them once in a week. right now i keep these two in water but on one of them the leaves started becomig yellow and i don't know what to do.
i see they have small little roots but i don't think that's enough for them to survive! please help me!

[WhiteRabbit]

There's a fair chance for this one. Pot it quite small. Use a bamboo skewer in th media to gauge when to water. (Search the board for "skewer", "skewer method". Google also, adding "orchid" to search terms).

[Bud]

you have rotting roots....spray with hydrogen peroxide ....then repot making sure that its got air circulation and let the roots breathe in the media mix....you still have good roots left to make the plant survive....
cut the damaged leaves on the edge of the green healthy ones and make a water/cinnamon paste and dab the wound; do not apply cinnamon powder directly on the roots; it will desiccate it....
cut the spikes an inch from the base to trigger new roots and leaves to gather more energy for the next bloom cycle....

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

What kind of potting media was it grown in when the damage to the roots occurred?

What kind of potting media do you plan on growing it in when you repot it?

[OrchidBlossomss]

it was grown in bark, i use to buy the same media that they come in

---------- Post added at 01:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------

do i have to cut that thing under the roots(where the old roots grew) or just leave it like that?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I re-read your post:

Originally Posted by OrchidBlossomss

...I water them once in a week. Right now, I keep these two in water, but on one of them the leaves started becoming yellow and I don't know what to do...

What do you mean when you say, "I keep these two in water..."?

Do you keep them in a shallow dish or tray, put water in there and water them that way? How are you doing this? Do the pots stay in water for days?

[flexdc]

King is right. Wet feet is a death sentence

[RosieC]

I noted that same sentence about keeping them in water. What do you mean by that?

Most Orchids like to dry between watering and should not be left in water and that could be your problem.

[OrchidBlossomss]

i kept their roots in water, but i took them out yesterday and let them dry, today i want to spray them with hydrogen peroxide and repot in small pots, hope that helps

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The proper way to water an orchid and not rot their roots out is to just water the orchid and let the water drain out completely. Don't let the roots or pot sit in water for days.

Phalaenopsis grows on trees, most of the roots are not growing in water.

Here's an example of how they grow in the wild:

Phalaenopsis sumatrana | Flickr - Photo Sharing!