Operation Orchid Rescue...Need help

[SchroedingersGato]

Greetings everyone...
On my way back from my morning coffee I found what I suspect to be Phalaenopsis sitting in the trash bin. It looks pretty sad but having grown other plants before identified the green leaves as meaning the plant is still vital and may have a chance. I brought it home and began to pull the bulbs from the pot. I noticed the potting mix is damp and somewhat soggy. I also noticed that the roots don't look very well. Can anyone here tell me the following...

* Does this plant have a chance?
* What do I need to do to revive it?
* Do I need to dry out the damp potting mix for a bit?
* should I trim off the bad portions of the roots?

I'm sure these questions are answered in the volumes of posts on this site but I feel the need to act rather quickly with this one before the situation worsens. I've attached some photos to help with the diagnosis.

Thank You kindly for your time

[SchroedingersGato]

[orchidsal]

Glad you took pictures. Looks to me as if you have got three plants that were in one pot. The good news is at least two out of the three look pretty good and even the one Phalaenopsis with just the one leaf is salvageable (maybe very much so). I see some good roots and from what I can tell in your photos the leaves look good also. If there are any mushy, black roots, cut these off with a sterilized razor blade or really sharp shears. These Phalaenopsis were placed in moss which would not be my choice of potting medium. I would clean the moss out carefully without damaging your good roots. Soak the roots first before removing the moss and it should be easier. I suppose you could put these all back into the same container for now or you could separate them into individual pots, but VERY IMPORTANT, do allow only a inch or so between the orchid base/roots and the pot rim. DO NOT OVER POT. The orchid's media will stay to wet and root rot will set in if over potted. Get your self some medium size bark or a mix of medium bark, perlite, and charcoal mix to repot with. Soak this medium in water for at least a few hours or overnight before repotting. There are instructions on potting orchids on this Forum with pictures of how to do it. Its not hard. After you have potted these back up you could use KLN Rooting Hormone or Super Thrive to help with shock and encourage more root development. I would keep these phals on the dry side for at least a week or ten days. Good Luck with this and I think you will end up with a very healthy, happy orchid that will end up blooming for you! AL

[Brutal_Dreamer]

I completely agree with Al . I will post up a video of how we repot phals here in my greenhouse. Maybe that will also help. Glad to have you join our discussions here in OrchidTalk.



Cheers,
BD

[SchroedingersGato]

You guys are fantastic. Thanks so much for your replies. I will go about as your instructions indicate and reply if I have any questions along the way.
Thanks again for your input. :-)

[SchroedingersGato]

Ok...
I left everything to aerate and dry out a bit last night. I began the repotting process this morning and upon reoving the sphag moss from the roots I've noticing some brown dried up looking huks seem to be flaking away from what looks like a thin thread inside them. Questions are....

* Should I leave the exposed thread-like roots attached or prune?
* Will the outer husk regrow?
* Are these roots any good at this point?

In specific the larger plant in the above photos is the one I'm referring to. The good news is that one of these looks like it has a great chance at making it. The one leaf one may have a chance but it's roots are in bad shape.

I also came across some rooting hormone which I have used with success in the past. It's not KLN like recommended but I'd like to know if it will work. It's called Schultz Take Root and it says it will work for most any houseplants. I know orchids AREN't ANY houseplant so before i do any more damage I'd like to know if this is a good idea or not.