Help/miniature orchid-rotten roots
 

I bought this pretty miniature orchid not so long ago and after a few weeks it began to loose its flowers. Now it looks very sick so today I decided to take it out of the original, soggy moss. All the roots are in very bad shape, almost none existent..... How can I save this cutie? Please, help:dumb:
I have a photo of the disaster.:blushing:
Thanks a lot.

Is that an Aerangis? I can't tell what it is. It'd be helpful to know exactly what this is. Cultural requirements are not the same for all "minis".

Whatever it is, you can try mounting it onto tree fern poles without moss and see if that helps.

The flower looks like a tiny pink phal.
There was no tag with the plant when I bought it.

Well...I'm still unsure of what it is. It doesn't look like a Phal, maybe it's an Aerides? Perhaps Dyakia hendersoniana?

Does it look like this? - http://www.orchidspecies.com/orphotd...ersonianum.jpg

If it's an Aerides or Dyakia, then it'd probably be easier if you did mount them onto a piece of tree fern. Try without moss first.

Hum...no it doesn't look like the picture, more like a replica of a phal. only dwarf like. I'll try to send a picture.
Thanks.:)

I am sending a photo...sorry it is not very clear:blushing:
Maybe it will help identify that baby.
Thanks

Oh, wow! It is a Phal. Must be some unusual cross.

I recommend mounting this one. Since I know for sure it's a Phal, it'd probably be easier to grow mounted on cork bark. When you mount, you can put a little bit of moss around the roots, but leave some parts of the remaining roots exposed a bit. See if this initiates new roots in a few weeks.

Would any wood do for mounting? I don't have cork bark laying around...
Do I use any glue? Hot glue, super glue?
Do I spray it often with water? What about fertilizer?
I am a newbe at this and I am very nervous to do the wrong thing and kill her:blushing:
Thank you so much:waving

Any kind of wood that doesn't smell like it came from the medicine cabinet would do (strong odors on a wood could have biochemical whatevers in them - not good).

No glue is necessary. Just put a little bit of wet sphagnum moss on the roots allowing some parts of the roots to be exposed and other parts covered by the moss. Then tie onto the mount with some fishing line or twisty wire.

If you need more help, there're people in the "Mounting" section of this forum who can help you.

In the meantime I can give you visuals of what a mounted Phal will look like on the mount. Pay particular attention to the way the leaves droop downwards because that's how you should position the plant.

Here're some pics of my Phals. Phalaenopsis modesta var. coerulea is the one with the paddle shaped leaves. The other is Phal. appendiculata (notice the fishing line I used to tie the plant onto the mount with in the background). Phal appendiculata is a miniature Phalaenopsis species and is currently the smallest known species in the genus Phalaenopsis (smaller than Phal gibbosa, Phal lobbii, or Phal parishii).

Let the roots dry out completely before watering again. A rough estimate would be around three to four times a week depending on how warm it gets where you are during the summer. Fertilize once a week using half the amount of fertilizer recommended by the manufacturer. Your fertilizer should be something like 20-16-20 (close to this is good enough) and definitely urea free.

In your case, I wouldn't fertilize it until I see some recovery with the roots.

BTW, I covered the roots on my Phals completely for a reason. Phalaenopsis modesta and Phalaenopsis appendiculata like it wetter than Phals like Phalaenopsis stuartiana for example. My Phalaenopsis modesta at one point had certain parts of its roots exposed, but I covered them up as soon as I saw some heavy root growth happening.

WOW...Great information! :bowing
I need to get some moss tomorrow and I should have some fishing line around. I'll check the "mounting" forum. Thank you so much. I am very excited!:biggrin:

I have the same problem with my mini-phal; it's in moss and most of its roots look rotten. Is mounting definitely the way to go? (also very new at this)

Mounting is a great technique and I would highly recommend to anyone who's adventurous enough to give it a try! However, I'm not sure if I could do it... LOL...

If you're leary of doing this, try putting it in water for a few days to weeks to rehydrate the roots thorougly (and it often helps instigate new root growth), then repot in another medium other than the sphagnum it came in. Take your pick, but have fun! Remember, orchid growing should be a fun hobby, not a chore ;)

Mounting a Phalaenopsis isn't the ONLY way to grow them. It's just an option. In my opinion, for Phalaenopsis it is often one of the better options for long term success. As far as a plant recovering from damaged roots - it's a crapshoot, but mounting them doesn't hurt them any either. If they've even got one or two good roots, it's still got a fighting chance.

I agree with King... Most people tend to overwater the phals which instigate root rot... Mounting these beauties prevents that all the way around ;)

HEY EVERYONE! :waving THANK YOU!:bowing

I took your advice and mounted my mini-phal as best I could and it seems to be making a recovery! the blooms stopped dying almost immediately and now I have a new (if small) bloom!
thankyouthankyouthankyou!

here's a picture of my happy plant (PS: it doesn't actually live on my bed but my cellphone camera couldn't focus on it where it was)