Roots turning brown

[bayswaterorchid]

Hi orchid lovers, can anyone please tell me why my orchid roots are turning brown? The ones changing their colour are all exposed in the air by the way.

The same orchid in the pic below has lost two leaves since I have acquired a month ago but otherwise it has sent up two spikes and putting out a leave. It is potted in bark and I have been watering it every week. It's day six since the last time I watered. And by looking at the second photo, do you think I have to hold off the watering until the roots turns grey ?

[ksriramkumar]

Hi andrew, how does it feel to touch the roots?. the roots inside the container look ok to me.

[bayswaterorchid]

Hi Ksriramkumar, the roots are generally firm but I did chop a few roots on the surface that became mushy.

A pic below shows aerial roots this phal had when it first came to me in December. These roots are now gone. What I find interesting is that those aerial roots have first turned grey and later became soft whereas the roots exposed on top of the pot have become brown. I noticed a few of them exposed in the air have gone mushy and brown so I chopped them off. The ones remaining on the surface are still firm and the roots sitting inside the pot looked pretty healthy as they look green. So I am wondering what's actually causing the top roots going brown?

[catttan]

They look OK to me too.

[kspalding]

What color phase did they go through before? Green to white to yellow to brown to black? May just be over exposed. Could be over or under fed. Could be location..... Lots of things can cause this.

---------- Post Merged at 02:11 PM ----------

Whatever u do stop chopping!!!!!!!!! You could cause more harm than needed if u don't know why!!!!!!

[bayswaterorchid]

Not sure about the colour phase it went through. The only thing I remember is that the roots in the air were green when the plant came to me.

[SeanHoutman]

Surface roots turning brown like that could be either salt buildup or light damage. Most likely salt build up, if you have been fertilizing, cut back. I see lots of new root growth, and those new roots will be acclimated for your current conditions. You also have 9 leaves on a Phalaenopsis, which is phenomenal.

[bayswaterorchid]

Thanks. I will be feeding less from now.

When would be the right time to water your orchids? When the top of its media becomes dry or are you going by your normal watering schedule?

[78Terp]

I guess that depends on the potting media.

Planted in:
Spag moss- No. I'd pull the plant out of the pot and feel to see if it is damp or not.

Bark- I try to judge the weight of the orchid dry and wet and try to go by that. In my dry environment, I water my bark media orchids every 2-3 days(only one left to repot out of moss. That is my zygo and I am looking for new growth on it before I repot). Paphs generally daily if they are light weight enough.

[OrchisAmor]

Another option on water is to stick your finger down in the media about an inch or so to see if it's still wet. Those that like to be more moist - I water at ~1" dry media whereas those that like to be more dry - I water a day after around 1-1.5" dry media. I have my orchids in bark mix, and this works very well for me.