Neofinetia falcata Root Die-off! Ideas?

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Hi All,

I have over 50 orchids in my orchid haus, with just about 20 of them potted in SH. The haus has a pretty comfortable temperature range of high 60s or low 70s at night, mid to high 70s or low 80s day. The humidity is anywhere from 60% to 90% or higher at all times.

I repotted my Neofinetia falcata into SH the first week of January and it was a tremendous success with roots growing everywhere into the SH and into the air, etc. But 2 weeks ago I noticed active root growth had backed off and yesterday I decided to take a look at the roots. All those lovely roots have died and some have begun to rot.

The only unknown factor I can think of is my water. I live in NYC and Ray tells me I have very acidic water that can fluctuate extremely (hopefully I am not misquoting Ray). I tested a water-fertilizer solution using a test strip yesterday and the acidity looked fine, but the water is quite soft. Could this be a soft-water poisoning? If so, I assume my SH plants are more susceptible? Is dolomitic lime the answer? I also have a Zero Water filter system, should I use my filtered water?

Please tell me if you need other information to help diagnose my problem. If it is the water or not, I am really motivated to keep my plants happy and thriving so all input and ideas will be appreciated.

As an aside, my Neofinetia falcata is not dead, but without a root system. I have decided to try placing it in water culture (my first attempt at water culture) to hope to keep it alive.