Shrivelled roots on a V. sansai blue?
 

Hi there! First time poster with a concern about my sansai blue's roots. They've started getting rather shrivelled in the past couple months, likely due to the very dry room I'm in. I was misting every couple days for the longest time, but am now misting two or three times daily with a focus on the exposed roots. Do the roots in these pictures look healthy/salvageable? I'd just misted lightly prior to taking the photos, so they look a bit darker.

Also, is the break in the one large root a cause for concern?

Thanks for the assistance provided so far! It's glad to hear that I finally found an orchid that I likely can't drown!

Welcome,

No, it's hard to drown them, Vandas like lots of water, humidity and air circulation.

Most grow them bare root (just hanging in the air) or in a wood slat box so that they can be well soaked but they dry out quickly also.

Your's probably needs more frequent watering and better air flow. Is there a reason why it's planted in bark?

If you try to keep it well watered in the bark you run the risk of rotting the roots.

Another technique is growing them in vases. There's a good post on OB about that.

Maureen

Hi nutgirl,

It was planted in bark when I bought it. It originally had a layer of moss on top, but I pulled that out.

Right now it's in a conventional clay pot; would air flow be better if it were in an orchid pot, or is a basket or vase the way to go?

HOLA, TE DOY UN CONSEJO CAMBIALA A UN CANASTO, EN LA MACETA NO SE PUEDEN DESARROLAR LAS RAICES, Y SE EVITA LAS EMFERMEDADES DE LAS RAICES POR HUMEDAD-
UN ABRASO
FERNANDO

David,

Vandas need lots of air circulation and are not usually grown in pots.

If you live in a dry environment you might want to look at this Post on Orchid Board.

Enter "Vandas in Glass Vases" in the search box.

I grow mine in the vases during the winter and outside in a greenhouse in the summer.

There are lot's of pictures of different methods on OB.

Maureen

Sounds like a good idea. I think she'll be going into a vase tomorrow.

I did a good soaking today; would another one be a good idea after moving into the vase, or would that not help?

David,

I usually soak mine every other day just because it's most convenient but you can do it daily if you want.

I fill the vase and let it soak for 20-30 mins then drain. Sometimes I forget it (oops) and it goes longer. It doesn't seem to be a problem.

I fertilize once a week with a weak solution.

Remember also that your plant likes a lot of light so hope you have a bright place you can put it.

Hope this works for you.

Maureen

It should, thanks.

I have a west-facing window so it gets a fair amount of afternoon sun. I expect I'll be adding a gro-lite to the mix for the winter months, too.

Well, right now it's in a one-gallon hexagonal aquarium; a cable tie around a couple of the larger routes is held to the edge with a bulldog clamp. Not pretty, but functional. I'll have to look for something a bit more attractive. As predicted here, a lot of the roots that were in the bark are rotted and ugly; hopefully there's still life in them yet.


One of the thick roots had a tear in it on the bottom; will that cause problems?

Don't worry about the root. It happens.

Maureen