Diagnose my roots... Please.

[OrchidThief79]

I have a Neostylis Lou Sneary potted semi-Japanese style in sphagnum moss in a clay pot. It sits outside (in Hawaii) in bright shade. I water it about every three days, so the moss is almost always completely dry, at least on top. Sometimes it stays dry longer. I fertilize weakly weekly.
As you can see in the photos I've attached, some of the roots on top of the medium have become rather shrivelled and dessicated-looking, some turning a brownish color. They are hard and not mushy.
I have three hypotheses as to why the roots look this way:
1) Underwatering: I'm simply not watering it enough and the roots have dried up. I'm leaning toward this..
2) Fertilizer burn: I've either over-fertilized or let too much salt build up in the medium. I don't really know what burnt roots look like.
3) Overwatered: The moss has stayed soggy for too long and the roots rotted. I tend to doubt this, as the roots in question are exposed to the air and the medium rarely stays wet for more than a day or two.
I would greatly appreciate your insight! Thanks.

[Zoi2]

I can't really see your roots as I cannot get your pictures to enlarge but I would think they are getting too dry. I soak mine once a week and spray pretty much every day. My humidity is not ideal though.
Joann

[Bud]

you are in Hawaii...you have moisture and humidity in the air...and the correct temperatures(you dont have frost) orchids can grow on trees without watering them...I think its #2...you have to flush your roots and remove the fertilizer crystal deposits...its not a watering issue because you said it is outdoors...you've got to leave them alone and let nature take its course...if you were in the east coast like me; then you need to pamper it and mimic the environment that you have in Hawaii...lol. You are already in Hawaii so stop mimicking the tropics...cause you are already in the tropics

[NYCorchidman]

I have Neostylis as well. My opinion by looking at the pictures and your description of how often you water and how the moss is dry, I think it is most likely underwatered.
You mentioned it dries up quickly. They don't like to stay dry too long. Constant moisture is needed for healthy growth.

I recommend taking it out of the moss and growing it mounted on a tree if you have one in your yard or something, if not, just grow in a hanging basket with little or no medium.

Then you might want to water (or soak in a bucket) it every morning.

I believe the humidity should be fairly high over there, but I know plants still get soaked early morning in HI and FL. so make sure roots are not dry for long.

Happy growing!

[Arenalbotanicalgarden]

I know my repeating gets old. Orchids don't get crammed in holes (pots) in nature.
Mount it and feed it regularly.......look up the definition of epephyitic.

[quiltergal]

Originally Posted by Bud

you are in Hawaii...you have moisture and humidity in the air...and the correct temperatures(you dont have frost) orchids can grow on trees without watering them...I think its #2...you have to flush your roots and remove the fertilizer crystal deposits...its not a watering issue because you said it is outdoors...you've got to leave them alone and let nature take its course...if you were in the east coast like me; then you need to pamper it and mimic the environment that you have in Hawaii...lol. You are already in Hawaii so stop mimicking the tropics...cause you are already in the tropics

Uh, that's not exactly right. Conditions depend entirely on what side of the island you live on. Honolulu is on the leeward side of Oahu and is much drier than the windward side. It does not rain every day in Honolulu. Sometimes it is not even very humid. When the trade winds are blowing everything dries out really fast. That is why nearly all of the big growers are on the windward side.

My vote is not enough water given the above conditions and the fact that you are only watering every 3 days. You need to water sphag just before it gets crunchy on top. If it goes completely dry then it will need to be soaked for about 30 minutes so the sphag can regain it's moisture holding properties.

[OrchidThief79]

Thank you all for your comments. It helped me form a better idea of what the cultural needs of Neostylis are. I think they like frequent, maybe daily watering but also need to dry out quickly. I think I was underwatering it. I kept reading that Neos don't like to stay wet at the roots so I erred on the side of too dry. Also, I had the idea that one can't possibly underwater a plant in sphagnum, but that stuff can actually dry out pretty quickly with good air movement (i.e. Hawaii tradewinds). I should stop mentioning to orchid people that I live on Oahu... they go into attack mode! LOL

[keithrs]

Is me or does in look like this plant has crown rot... especially the second pic......

[OrchidThief79]

Originally Posted by keithrs

Is me or does in look like this plant has crown rot... especially the second pic......

Keith, if you're referring to the dark-colored area on the stem, no, it's just a darker reddish pigment of the leaves. But looking at the pics I posted it does kinda look like it's rot. :-)

[keithrs]

I had a vanda get crown rot that looked like that along with the roots. I had to remove all the leaves and roots that had rot.