Phalaenopsis - Rotting roots still

[jennna]

Hello,

I'm the newbie to this forum and formally introduced myself

I have Phalaenopsis that a friend threw away, literally, trash can! It was still green, but the roots were heavily moldy and rotted.

I went ahead and sprayed it down with hydrogen peroxide 3%, like I have other orchids, but this one doesn't seem to respond to the treatment. It is still rotting. One that was rotting is doing well and growing new leaves.
I'm just not sure why this one isn't responding.

I have changed the media twice (bark & moss) and no luck.
Any suggestions? I'm about ready to just dunk the roots into a tin filled with hydrogen peroxide instead of spraying them

[Helene]

Can you post pictures? Easier to see what the problem might be then.

I would cut the bad roots, and soak the rest in water. Then let it dry. I prefer to keep the orchid in a vase, with no medium until its recovered a bit. Its easier to check the roots then, and cut of more if they go bad.

When it starts to get better I put it in bark/moss again. (Lol, well, some have been in vase for months/a year- they just liked that).

Yeah, I do mist roots every day when I have it in vase.


Dont have hydrogen peroxide or physan, so cant help with that.

Best of luck

[AnonYMouse]

You didn't state whether you cut the rotted roots. You need to do that. Then do what Helene suggests, leave it bare root for a while. You can use a seaweed supplement from a hydroponics store to support root growth.

---------- Post added at 02:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:20 PM ----------

One other thing: don't use metals with peroxides unless you know the reaction. First Aid H2O2 is dilute enough that I wouldn't worry but there are higher concentrations available (29% at the hydroponics store, for example).

[jennna]

I failed to mention--yes, I removed all dead roots. Seems to have worsened.

Please see attached photos.

I will try Helene's suggestion.

[Helene]

It doesnt look too wet, even though its a lot of moss. But I prefer bark, some people prefer moss.

I would make more holes in the pot, if you are gonna use that much moss.
I used an soldering iron and melted holes.



I dont use much moss on the bigger ones, smaller ones have more moss.

Some just in leca



For recovering (or waiting for me to decide what to pot in&#128540, bare-roots



I think it wants more fresh air, oxygen. First: bare-roots for a while. Then pot with more holes in the pot, or more bark. Or both.

[jennna]

WHOA loving the pictures! Absolutely, roger-that. I'll leave them out of the media until they recover.

I love the look of orchids in leca pellets! I've seen some in glass, but never considered because of mixed reviews.

I do have 4 other orchids in straight bark pellets, but since this little was drying out I figured more moss would help it retain the moisture better.

Thank you SO MUCH! I'll post updates!

[rbarata]

I wouldn't use moss... If it needs ventilation and fast drainage, why would you use it? Unless your environment has extremely low humidity.
Remember: the dried look of it could be due to root loss. Rotten roots means loss of capability to absorb water.