Help needed from a total newbie!

[Newgirl]

Hi folks! I am totally new to the world of orchids. However, i have had an Phalaenopsis orchid for over 10 years now and even without taken proper care of it, it still lives and it even had 3 babies which i 'planted' on their own after they fell off the motherplant

However, i have decided to give them a little better care and started to watch tons of videos on Youtube. There are though a copple of issues i cannot seem to figure out and i could really use some help.

1. This orchid has been in a not see through pot in regular soil for years. The roots have turned this colour. Are not mushy or soft. Still viable or should i cut them?

2. Will yellow roots turn green if they are exposed to light long enough?

3. The roots have white spots on a lot of them. Is this fungues or normal? What should i do? There is nothing moving so no bugs and i cannot scrape them off with my nail.

4. The stem is incredibly long. Should i leave it like this or cut anything from it? There are still a lot of roots coming from the lower part but are the roots viable?

I have bought a see through post, hydrolic pellets and orchid bark. I cut away a lot of dried out pines and roots already and this is what's left.

Please advice some more! Thank you so much!

[Brian1212]

Hi Newgirl,
welcome to the forum. I don't like this forum very much as it just has a lot of trolls that will all want to give you their opinion without seeming to own many orchids themselves. I hardly see any orchid pictures on here but that being said there is also a ton of wealth to be found on here and just as much false information as there is on youtube.

I think you have done amazingly well keeping that phal alive for 10 years and although it could be in better condition, changing too much can easily kill it so don't try too many new things at once.

1. your roots look surprisingly good, I can't see much if anything you should cut

2. yellow roots will turn green if exposed to light however do not just leave them out in the sun exposed. That will dry them up too much. A better way of greening them up is in a clear pot, this will retain the moisture but expose the roots to light although they don't need to be green.

3. don't worry about those white spots you mention, they are just part of the root structure and nothing to worry about.

4. your stem is very long indeed. I personally avoid cutting the stem - it exposes the cut end to fungus, rot, pathogens and so is dangerous.
But I have never had a 10 year old long stem like yours so it might be worth cutting it so it fits in a pot better but it is risky, it will set your plant back because it will lose lower roots and you will need to seal the cut with some cinnamon or charcoal powder to dry it out for a day before repotting it.

Hope that helps and good luck with it.

ps: clay pebbles and bark are both good media to use. I would use one or the other, have never mixed bark with pebbles before.. Pebbles will last forever, bark will degrade and needs to be replaced every 1-3 years

[DeaC]

Well Brian,with only 17 posts perhaps you could be called "Newboy". Knowledgeable members are posting to OB each day and the forums have long been a source of great info from experienced growers.

[Newgirl]

Thank you so much for your reply Brian! Incredibly helpfull!

I do have one last question, should i 'bury' all the roots below the leaves (all of them are lower) in the bark? Are there different kinds of roots? Air ones and 'ones you can bury'?

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Newgirl

1. This orchid has been in a not see through pot in regular soil for years. The roots have turned this colour. Are not mushy or soft. Still viable or should i cut them?

Hi there NG. Not-see through plastic pot is just fine. Instead of regular soil ---- one possible alternative you could try - is lava rock - 15 to 20 mm pieces and a very free draining pot.

2. Will yellow roots turn green if they are exposed to light long enough?

Probably won't turn green if those yellow roots (or white) are no longer alive ----- this is discounting algae etc.

3. The roots have white spots on a lot of them. Is this fungues or normal? What should i do? There is nothing moving so no bugs and i cannot scrape them off with my nail.

It could well be fungus, growing and feeding on the dead material. Not necessarily harmful to the orchid. But - a close-up good resolution photo of these white spots could help here.

4. The stem is incredibly long. Should i leave it like this or cut anything from it? There are still a lot of roots coming from the lower part but are the roots viable?

Also refer to tips such as Click Here and Click Here

And take a look at this video ----

youtube video

[Newgirl]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Hi there NG. Not-see through plastic pot is just fine. Instead of regular soil ---- one possible alternative you could try - is lava rock - 15 to 20 mm pieces and a very free draining pot.



Probably won't turn green if those yellow roots (or white) are no longer alive ----- this is discounting algae etc.



It could well be fungus, growing and feeding on the dead material. Not necessarily harmful to the orchid. But - a close-up good resolution photo of these white spots could help here.



Take a look at this video ----

Click Here

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Newgirl

they have like wet firm white tissue inside. This means they are viable i asume?

They might possibly still be alive. And if they are alive, then they could still possibly sprout more roots from those old roots.

As for the stem - I don't think the very long stem should be buried into the media. It could just rot in there, and maybe kill the whole plant.

[WaterWitchin]

The white spots are fine. I don't know what they're called, but it's perfectly normal. Someone may have a more scientific answer...

[SouthPark]

Oh ----- those white spots. I can them in those photographs. Yes --- WW is right about that. They're normal. They're just a feature of the roots.

[Newgirl]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

They might possibly still be alive. And if they are alive, then they could still possibly sprout more roots from those old roots.

As for the stem - I don't think the very long stem should be buried into the media. It could just rot in there, and maybe kill the whole plant.

Thanks! And how far do i cut it then? And is it no problem i lose all those (probably viable) roots? It has been buried with the whole stem for years in regular soil..?