HELP! Most of my roots are rotted!

[aramina12]

I bought a phalaenopsis orchid a few months ago and I knew I'd have to repot it when it finished blooming because I noticed the potting medium was decaying very badly. Well today I went to repot it. I got all the bark away from the roots only to discover that at least 3/4 of the roots are either completely rotted or yellow with black spots higher up, but still green lower down. There's probably only about 3-5 roots that look completely healthy.

So what should I do? Is there any chance it would actually survive if I cut most the roots off? Also, answers asap are appreciated because it is currently just sitting in a dish of water waiting to be repotted.

[zxyqu]

Ok, well the all mushy roots are goners. So cut them off right away. Any, ANY, root that is firm, be it white/green, is still alive, and could survive transplantation.
Without knowing your conditions, I would be careful of how much you're watering given the rot. Either way, once you repot the orchid, hold off on water for a few days/a week (you should presoak the new media in water).
Depending on the size of the orchid, 3-5 roots is plenty. Expect the orchid to pout a little after you repot it, and you might lose a leaf or two depending on how many roots make it, but it should do just fine. Good Luck (and I wouldn't just sit the plant in water bare root for too long)

[aramina12]

Thanks. I cut off all of the really bad roots (that had no white/green left and weren't firm) and repotted it. It was kind of hard to get it firmly potted though with so few roots now. I guess now I'll just have to wait and see how it does...and maybe cut back on how often I water it too.

[silken]

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

This thread should answer many questions. When you bring a phal home you should re-pot it right away. Phals don't mind re-potting when in bloom. See what is said in some posts on the phal abuse thread just today (latest posts).

Good luck with yours. You can mist it lightly daily until it recovers as well, but be sure not to let water collect in the crown or crown rot can result.

[Paul Mc]

What did you repot it in? While some people have success with sphag as a medium, I personally do not.

If you only have a few roots left, how many leaves do you have on your phal? Roots can only sustain so many leaves though I honestly do not know the equation for figuring that out. If you only have say 3 to 5 good roots, you can always cut off a few leaves as this will help your phal to survive. It will only have to sustain a few leaves as opposed to many. Be sure to dust with cinnamon after cutting as this is a natural anti fungal and infection preventer. Just try not to get it on the roots as it may stunt growth (I'm not 100% sure on that one, but I think I read it somewhere).

I was at an orchid repotting class and I was shocked at how the teacher just ripped plants apart and tore leafs off. However, she said that most people are astonished by this as they view orchids as being very tender. In reality, they have survived so long that they are not really that tender, especially phal's.

I'm just concerned that your root growth may not support your current leaves.

[Tim P.]

Originally Posted by Paul Mc

What did you repot it in? While some people have success with sphag as a medium, I personally do not.

If you only have a few roots left, how many leaves do you have on your phal? Roots can only sustain so many leaves though I honestly do not know the equation for figuring that out. If you only have say 3 to 5 good roots, you can always cut off a few leaves as this will help your phal to survive. It will only have to sustain a few leaves as opposed to many. Be sure to dust with cinnamon after cutting as this is a natural anti fungal and infection preventer. Just try not to get it on the roots as it may stunt growth (I'm not 100% sure on that one, but I think I read it somewhere).

I was at an orchid repotting class and I was shocked at how the teacher just ripped plants apart and tore leafs off. However, she said that most people are astonished by this as they view orchids as being very tender. In reality, they have survived so long that they are not really that tender, especially phal's.

I'm just concerned that your root growth may not support your current leaves.

I would just like to go a little further with the cinnimon. MAKE SURE that the only place that you put it is the open root ends that were cut... that will ensure no bacteria, but will also not dehydrate the plant in the process... cinnamon repels water.... therefore if you get it on a lot of the roots (like all over them) there is no way for the roots to get water.

[Leafmite]

I've had luck with many noid phals that had maybe one good root or partial good root. I just remove the dead roots and stick them in lava rock and net baskets and they recover just fine. I don't cut leaves or anything because I figure the more leaves, the more energy it can create to grow. One thing I do is that after they have suffered from rot, I let them remain dry for a day or two after the repot so their roots have a chance to heal and hopefully prevent new rot. I recently gave away many of these phals that I'd rescued in the past and before I did, I checked their roots and found they'd filled the pots and didn't have any bad roots at all. If the phal wiggles in the pot, use chopsticks or pencils and wedge the phal a bit so it doesn't move. That will help it root faster. Or, just don't move the pot for a while. They do recover quickly and as they grow year round, you won't have to wait long before you see new roots poking from the stem. Good luck! Keep us posted!
Leafmite

[GypsyV]

This post has been helpful to me also. I have a noid that had lots of green roots but now most were rotten or shriveled, i guess from rot. I think i was watering to much thinking I would dry it out, then realized the resivoir in pot had an inch of water. I cut all the dead root off that I could the other night. I was worried it wouldn't live on the few roots that were left. Now I know it is possible.
Thanks

[silken]

I too wouldn't cut healthy leaves off as that is where the plant photosynthesizes from. If the leaves are limp, I mist them daily being careful not to get water in the crown which will cause crown rot.

The plants should never be left standing in water except if you are watering them and soaking the pot for a short while. Then it should be allowed to drain thoroughly.

[sii]

I agree with Pat as well.

When I had phals with few roots I made sure to pot the plant into a pot that could hold the roots snuggly (usually a yogurt container) as putting it back into it's original pot may be to big.