Phalaenopsis Root (?) Problems
 

two or three of my Phaelanopsis plants have been struggling lately. They had a mealybug( :(( ) infestation, but I was able to get rid of the tiny fluffy demons.

Based on what I read, I found that the issue had to be with their ability to take in water, and figured that their roots had to be suffering.

I did my best to determine which roots were healthy and which were dying, but apparently there is ambiguity between healthy/dying roots- which doesn't even make sense.



After all my effort, my plants seem to still be in decline, and I'm wondering if anyone could figure out if I'm missing something obvious/ if these darker root areas are symptoms of a fungal infection/ if repotting was somehow too stressful for my orchids.

they all seem to be displaying similar symptoms:

Ooh, those look severely dehydrated! Did you buy them recently and move them from tight balls of moss to this very dry bark? If so, that is probably the problem. The roots don't look too bad, but quite dehydrated. It is pretty cut and dried as to what are healthy and what are dead roots. Healthy ones are plump and firm. They are green when wet and a silver colour when dry. Mushy ones or totally dry and hollow ones that peel off and leave a string behind are all dead. Sometimes a healthy root can get a bit brown or dark coloured from bark or the top ones just from the elements. But they are still firm. If moving from the tight, often wet ball of moss that most Phals come potted in, it might help to have a mix of moss and bark to help the transition. The existing roots need to adapt. Also new bark is very dry and should be soaked overnight. You still need to water more often for a while until the bark begins to absorb moisture a bit better.

Thank you SO much!!!! I knew it was a hydration problem, but initially, the tight sphagnum moss was just way too wet and the plants were starting to struggle. I had no idea that the new bark had to be broken in!!!

:bowing :thanx:
my babies shall liveeeeeeeee!!!




small side note: some of my roots had dark rings, or dead looking sections where the central vascular bundle string is visible, but above and below that portion the root looks happy and green. Whats up with that?
and also.... yellowish roots? are they okay?

I have seen where a root seems to be dead in the middle and then alive further down. I have read that the thin string inside can still be alive without the outer coating which is velamen that absorbs the moisture. So I would leave those on the plant. Yellow ones if firm are still alive. When watering, you could soak the whole pot for 20 mins to let those roots really absorb and plump up. But then make sure it is close to dry thru the pot before watering again. Not bone dry like Cattleyas like to be but just damp. I even let mine get dry but not when they are dehydrated or struggling. More orchids die from root rot and too much water than not enough tho.