S/H roots
 

So it's been a number of months since I put my phal back into S/H, and it's been doing pretty well. There are a number of growing leaves, albeit small ones, but leaf and root growth are good signs for me.

However, I'm a little concerned about on my roots which grew into the S/H and subsequently hit the side of my container. It reached the side, tried to go into the crevice between the container and PA, and just stopped growing. And now, the green tip is showing brown spots. I take it that the brown is early rot, from maybe waste not being able to clear away. Though I flush thoroughly a few times with every watering, and put a little pure peroxide into it as well for a boost of oxygen. Is there anyway to reverse or buck this?

Can you post a picture?
Joann

I don't grow s/h - but have noticed sometimes roots just stop growing - the green grow tip may become a bit brown but the root still looks good. Some times the root will begin to grow again - either from the tip, or from somewhere else

I repotted this morning and adjusted, pulling the root away from the side of the container. A few roots of mine have restarted growing from black tips, after a run in with old moss. But that root has some mold issues all over it... like black streaks that I couldn't remove, and a section of it was even really, really dark... I don't know what's going on with this guy. I just hope other roots start going down into the PA soon.

I have a variety of Phalaenopsis hybrids and species and I grow them S/H.

I find there is a big difference in how the roots grow.

Some are very vigorous and once they start they really go. Others start, stop, sulk, start again or even die.

There are a couple that just seem to say "Wahoo!" and dive right into the LECA while others like to creep along the top to the edge of the pot.

And no matter how I try to direct them the way I want them they end up going where they want to go.

Bottom line is the plants on the whole seem happy and they bloom regularly so I decided to just let them do their thing.


Maureen

I think it has nothing to do with the root's location along the pot wall, unless it is frying from direct sun or something. Maureen may have hit upon the key. Picture this scenario:

An existing root continues growing after the plant is moved to S/H culture. The tip grows for a while, so all looks good. Unfortunately, the older part of the root may not have been as well-suited to the new environment as we (and it) would have liked, so starts to fail. As it does, it will eventually take the new part with it.

The dark coloration you noted is probably a mold feeding on necrotic tissue, another indication that the scenario above might be right.

And THAT, my friends, is why we prefer to wait for the growth of new roots, not new growth on existing roots, for transplantation.

Well as I mentioned above, this one root is the one that grew INTO the s/h, not transplanted into it. And the majority of this root was below the "wet line," so it should have been well adapted. In fact, that particular section of the root, which was really dark, was the part that I actually watched with excitement as it grew b/c I otherwise had no idea that it existed at all until it began to peek through some of the PA.

And the only time in which there is direct sunlight on the container is in the morning, but my blinds usually negate any excessive light.

H2O2 gives a "nitrogen boost"?

to quote my original post - "boost of oxygen."


so I take it that this root rot is just one of those mysterious things that happens every now and then. since no one really has a clear answer to my original question, I suppose I'll throw out a theory; Ray has mentioned that root rot is actually the result of carbonic acid forming when carbon dioxide is not cleared away, like in compacted media, and it is this acid that destroys the plant's living tissue. So, what must've happened in my case was that water which stayed between my root tip and the container wall sat and became stale, which in turn "choked" the gas exchange process there and began the rotting process. This probably happened because the tip was pushed heavily against the wall, and flushing was ineffective in giving it fresh air.

The lesson is that proper flushing is essential.

I am new to all this, what is S/H?