Stinky Phal roots in FWC

[Keiki Paste]

Originally Posted by estación seca

You need to change the water every day. The cloudiness is a wonderful bacterial culture.

Thank you. The cloudy water truly is a sign of trouble. I have other orchids in water, and they stay clear up two weeks. I've never let them stay that way any longer than that. But when you have a sickly one, the water will change within two days!

[estación seca]

Some people root softwood cuttings in water with constant air bubbling from an aquarium air pump. This definitely reduces bacterial growth and keeps the water better oxygenated. It might be interesting to see a room full of full water culture orchids bubbling away. I would be tempted to put small amounts of food coloring in the jars. Maybe different colors for different genera?

[Keiki Paste]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Some people root softwood cuttings in water with constant air bubbling from an aquarium air pump. This definitely reduces bacterial growth and keeps the water better oxygenated. It might be interesting to see a room full of full water culture orchids bubbling away. I would be tempted to put small amounts of food coloring in the jars. Maybe different colors for different genera?

Haha! A true adventurer you are! I used to put food coloring in my Grandmother's Coleus cuttings and change their colors!

---------- Post added at 05:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 PM ----------

Originally Posted by jh0330u

Hello, I am curious, what ratio and % of H2O2 did you use?
I am also battling root rot with a white moth phal. I cut off most of my dead roots, but left 1-3 slightly dead middle ones. I have a few more roots but not much.
I was also contemplating what you have contemplated but maybe I should cut off ALL roots looking to be sick.

I am currently watering daily (which I am planning to change to 2 days) by soaking 1/4 roots for roughly 30min.

By FWC, do you mean you keep it in tap water ALL the time?

I'm using 3% straight out of the bottle, sprayed on the roots. I let dry about 2 hours, rinse, and back into fresh tap water.

I keep mine in just a little tap water with most of the roots exposed to air. This morning I filled their glasses and let them sit for about 10 mins before pouring off the majority and leaving about 1/8 to 1/4 submerged.

I cut off nearly everything that didn't appear to be thriving. I have one monster root that seems to be growing like crazy. I will take a pic tomorrow and post it. It's in my window at work.

---------- Post added at 05:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:03 PM ----------

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

eventually your hope should be that you get tired of playing with the plants and start to grow them the way they grow in nature as closely as possible for the best results. otherwise you get a lot of stinky plants to be the gracious host of explaining them to your friends and relatives that you can assure them they are not toxic.

I've seen so many videos on Youtube of various orchids THRIVING in fwc that I had to try it.

But I know what you mean... I bought some traditional orchid mix the other day because I "feel" that my Bulbophyllum and my Cymbidiums need some comfort from some traditional media. I just can't resist trying to duplicate other's successes.

[Marlena]

Now most of mine, the healthy ones, had no trouble switching and just took right off. The sick ones are puttering along, losing roots, sighing, pouting, etc.