Help with a Phalaenopsis that has almost no roots left. :(

[catttan]

When you do such a drastic pruning of the roots, it is advisable to cut off the flower spike so that the plant can concentrate all its energy on the new growth.

[kspalding]

You want to cut slightly above the second notch. At the base where the spike comes out you'll see the 1st then above it another then cut. I have reccommended miracle grow orchid mix before in that it has specific food that is amazing in reviving and regrowing orchids. I don't know if you have access to water beads but I would reccommend them in this case since providing moisture can make the fungus grow and spread. These actually release moisture into the soil without overwatering.

[King Kjeldz]

after all the advice im reluctant to add...im from a tropical climate so when that kinda shit happens..i simple add fungicide..cut off spike...cut off roots..in that order....once the fungus/bacteria travels up the roots and into the plant its all over....when plants are grown in sphagnum moss in temperate regions under controlled watering and greenhouse conditions...all is fine and dandy....but as soon as they touch down in my country...repot immediately as you take it home....with the heat i cant use that plastic bag...ill cook my plants i simple put in an empty pot over a saucer of water then mount to a piece of treefern or even just add gravel/charcoal to the pot....ive had experience with your problem a few times...but as i said my climate is different to yours

[AJCV]

When you do such a drastic pruning of the roots, it is advisable to cut off the flower spike so that the plant can concentrate all its energy on the new growth.

Thank you for your advice! I didn't know what was best, but now I'm having very little doubts about how I should proceed. Thanks for your input!

You want to cut slightly above the second notch. At the base where the spike comes out you'll see the 1st then above it another then cut. I have reccommended miracle grow orchid mix before in that it has specific food that is amazing in reviving and regrowing orchids. I don't know if you have access to water beads but I would reccommend them in this case since providing moisture can make the fungus grow and spread. These actually release moisture into the soil without overwatering.

Thank you for this! I'll cut the spike as you say.

I don't know if there are any water beads around here, but I'll surely look for them. There may be there but I just don't know it, LOL. ^^U

As for miracle growth orchid mix, I've never seen it in any of the stores I've checked, but I'm gonna look again and see what turns up. Maybe I overlooked it, because I wasn't really looking for it. :P Bad thing is with all the Christmas crazyness going on, stores are all turned into hell on Earth, so... It's hard to look for specific stuff as no clerk is willing to waste much time helping you out if you're not buying Christmas-related stuff. xD

But I'll look. THANKS for all the advice.

after all the advice im reluctant to add...im from a tropical climate so when that kinda shit happens..i simple add fungicide..cut off spike...cut off roots..in that order....once the fungus/bacteria travels up the roots and into the plant its all over....when plants are grown in sphagnum moss in temperate regions under controlled watering and greenhouse conditions...all is fine and dandy....but as soon as they touch down in my country...repot immediately as you take it home....with the heat i cant use that plastic bag...ill cook my plants i simple put in an empty pot over a saucer of water then mount to a piece of treefern or even just add gravel/charcoal to the pot....ive had experience with your problem a few times...but as i said my climate is different to yours

Thank you for your input!

Chile's not tropical at all and where I live (in the central part of the country) is not humid or hot at all. I live in a city by the sea, so even in full summer we have relatively cool temperatures and humidity is never all that high. My apartment gets quite humid sometimes, when we're using the oven, but not all the time, so the humidity level is usually around 50% or 60%. That's why I thought it best to put the plant inside the bag, even though the bag is not air-tight. :P

I'll cut the spike now that I know where to cut, and see what happens. I haven't applied the root growth stimulant yet, so I have to do that, but I'll take a look at the general plant and see how it looks.


A general question for everyone and all of you:

Is it your opinion that I should put the plant in some form of medium instead of keeping it "floating" over water, like it is now?

Right now, I have pine bark, some Styrofoam, perlite-sized LECA, perlite itself, vermiculite and glass beads, plus regular stuff like vermicompost, which don't work for these plants. If I were to repot the plant and put it in a new medium, should I use any of these, combine them or something? I haven't found anything else available to buy so far, so these are my options. :S

Thank you very much for all of your help!

Best regards~

[kspalding]

Reason I don't post mobile alot is i have to leave things brief. I hope to get my home computer fixed soon but until then.... anyways, the best about water beads is not only do they distribute water they also absorb. So if moisture over saturates the soil ta dah (absorbs water too). Of course new beads don't retain as much excess moisture, so let them go to work and relieve themselves before watering again. Another plus, if you look at the texture of the beads, it can help you determine better how much the plant is watered (dry, needs water; wet, doesn't). I don't know if you get ---- Vendor information removed - see FAQs on Posting ---- where you are, but I know they have them. Even where I'm at alot of garden centers (surprisingly) don't.