Hey guys! This is my second Moth Orchid and I keep having the same issue. I think it’s root rot? But I’m really not sure. It looks like it’s overwatered and under watered at the same time. The roots at the top are discoloured but the ones in the soil are all pretty green. I did have to cut off a couple that were blackish. The flowers keep wilting and falling off. :( If anyone could give me some guidance I would really appreciate it!!
The best tips I ever received about Moth Orchids: If the roots are silver, it’s time to water with ROOM TEMP water. If the roots are green, no water required. Orchids LOVE highly aerated soil, so use orchid bark and perlite as your substrate. It’s normal for flowers to wilt and fall off. A new extension will eventually appear and it will grow new flowers. They also love medium to bright indirect light. ☺️
7 Me gusta Also if you have root rot you can spray the roots down with 3% peroxide, no rinsing required. This will kill all the bacteria and stop the rot process.
4 Me gusta Thank you so much for the tips!! It makes me feel better I’m not completely murdering it 😭 I’ll try to pick up some new soil and repot for more space :)
1 me gustaThat's so helpful! Thank you I had the same situation
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What is concerning you? It looks great to me. Agree 100% with Kat’s comments
1 me gusta I was worried that the roots at the top were not supposed to be that colour. Thanks!
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I would agree, the roots on the top do not look healthy. Pro tip: orchids should not be in any soil, the roots will rot very quickly because of the lack of airflow. In nature orchids grow on the sides of trees and never have roots in soil, so it’s best to replicate these conditions by using bark chips as substrate. I just repotted one of mine that I got from the grocery store. I removed all the soil from the roots and had to cut back a lot of dead roots. If they’re papery thin and limp go ahead and cut it back, keep all the firm roots. If a root is dead/rotted on the end but still has a healthy base make sure you cut off the dead end, but don’t cut into the healthy part or it might do more harm. Then, spray the roots down with hydrogen peroxide to kill any bacteria left from the soil that could harm the roots. I learned a lot by watching YouTube videos about orchids.
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