Hi everyone! Thank you to those that commented on my post yesterday - you guys were super helpful! Today I decided to take a look at my orchid’s roots, and I noticed a slight smell, and a lot of black spots (both on the roots and on the middle base) and paper-thin roots. I also noticed some marks on the flower stem. I’m thinking that I’m looking at root rot, but I’m not completely sure what I should do. Thank you!
Yeah you probably have some rot to deal with. I would watch my water and allow the plant to dry out more. Trim off any dead or dying roots. Dead roots are papery or mushy, black or brown. Healthy roots are firm and green when wet, silvery when dry. Deeper into the media you may encounter pale yellow roots. It just means they haven’t been exposed to light. They are fine as long as they are firm. I would leave any wrinkled roots as long as they are firm. I would leave the ones with the dark spots as long as they are firm. Use an orchid pot with additional ventilation. They are typically clear so you can monitor root development, and have ventilation holes on the sides of the pot. If you don’t have one, you can add holes to a growers pot or any other plastic pot you have on hand. Size the pot so that the roots just fit in the pot. They like a tight fit. To minimize transplant shock, use a similar mix to what it was in previously. If your plant was in sphagnum, I would repot using a mix of 50% sphagnum 50% bark. That will allow moisture to hang around long enough for the roots to take in what they want without cutting off air circulation. If you are a heavy waterer you can reduce the amount of sphagnum in your mix. My preference is straight bark. The key is a loose airy mix that will allow the roots to dry between waterings. Regardless of what mix you use, gently work it around the roots. I use an old chopstick for the job. The goal is to firmly seat the plant in the pot without packing the media. You want an airy mix that allows the roots to grab the water they want and then dry out. Orchids like their water but the LOVE for their roots to dry out.
5 gillningar