Orchid problem , water culture + sphag and bag

[LJeziorska]

Hello everyone the problem I am having it's this , I bought 5 cattleyas las past month , I repot them and tuesday night I check one of them and one leaf fell out I stared to get concern .. It was really late so next morning check and yes!!! Root rot check the others also the same start reading and get across sphag and bag and water culture dint know which one to choose well I did both 3 in sphag and bag and 2 in water culture hope it will work ... I never overwater my orchids currently I have 11 orchids 6 phalaenopsis and 5 cattleyas orchids .... Here it's a attached picture before I trim the roots ...that was yesterday today i check my phal also and now I remember I bought this miracle grow orchid food stick and I did it last week and I think that's it! Before I use this food they were all fine Hoping this method will work for all of my orchids

I definitely don't want to loose them all


LJeziorska

[WhiteRabbit]

Catts can be extremely resilient. I'd probably just pot into the smallest pot possible, use well draining potting media, and care for normally, making certain the media dries completely in-between waterings. Use a skewer to determine when media us dry.

I've had Catt types lose all roots, and gone on to do fine doing just this.

[Corsetière]

Maybe you burned the roots with the miracle grow? How bad is it? Do you at least have 1 viable root left per plant?

[LJeziorska]

Hi Whiterabbit, I am definitely scare of what to do right know like i said before i have some in sphag and bag and other in water culture .. do you really recommend to pot them all? the media i am using is bark.. from miracle gro orchid mix.. thank you i will do it them

---------- Post added at 09:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 AM ----------

Hi Corsetiere, i think i did if i would know this would happen i will never do it .... roots are not good i posted some pictures so everyone could see and give me some advices or what should i really do... keep them the way they are some in water culture and some in sphag and bag or just repot them back

[Orchid Whisperer]

Hi LJeziorska

I can't see your photos in the first post (?)

First question, do you have any live roots on these Cattleya plants? If yes, I would just pot them normally into a well-drained medium such as coarse bark (all fine particles removed by sieving and/or rinsing).

I would not use sphag & bag or water culture on any Cattleya alliance plant. Too much water/humidity. Cattleyas need to dry between waterings. IMO, these methods will most likely lead to rot.

If the Cattleyas are rootless, but the pseudobulbs are in OK shape (not too shriveled), what I would do is put each plant in its own small, empty terra cotta clay pot. Spray the inside of the pot once a day (plain water, no fertilizer or other additives needed) to add a bit of humidity (twice a day if your air humidity is really low). You want the plant to react to not having enough water by producing more roots to go looking for water. It will do this without any other help within a month or two. When new roots start, spray these when you spray the pot, use low dissolved solids water, such as rain water, distilled water, or reverse-osmosis (RO) water. When you get some roots going (roots maybe 1 to 2 inches long), re-pot in coarse medium. Any Cattleya will be happiest if the medium is allowed to dry out between waterings.

Even if the pseudobulbs and leaves are somewhat dehydrated, I would still try the empty-pot method. IMO, this is you best chance for success. They will just struggle a bit more to recover.

The fertilizer sticks are just plain bad for orchids. I use the Miracle Gro water-soluble orchid food with fine results, but the sticks are a very bad idea - shame on Miracle-Gro for selling them. Use those sticks for some other type of plant. Instead, use a dilute, balanced, water-soluble fertilizer for orchids.

Best wishes for success.

[LJeziorska]

Thank you so much @orchidwhisperer for your respond whiterabbit suggested to repot them back that's what I did I repot them in bark medium the roots are bad but the bulb are ok so as the leave they look good they don't look dehydrated ... What are terra cotta clay pots? Are those the ceramic pots ... I only use plastic with holes ofcourse what you are trying to said it's just put them in the pot empty and just spray clear filtered water twice a day abs they will grow new roots ? I also repot my phal which was in water culture one of her leaves fell out since it was yellow

Hoping hear from you soon

Thanks again


LJeziorska

[LJeziorska]

LJeziorska

[Orchid Whisperer]

Terra cotta clay pots are the ceramic pots, typically reddish-brown, with no glaze on them. They will absorb some water into the ceramic.

Yes, I have had good results (with Cattleya type orchids) just placing plants with no roots in these clay pots, spraying the pots to keep some humidity around them, and having them re-sprout new growths with roots. I have done this with what are called "back bulbs"; old sections of the plant that are old enough that they have lost their roots, many having lost their leaves. I sometimes put coarse materials (such as corks) in the bottom of the pot, but you can do this with just the unglazed terra cotta pot.

For water, I just use captured rain water. The water you use for orchids should be low in dissolved solids (this is why I mentioned rain, distilled, or RO water). You can use tap water, if it is low in dissolved solids. Beyond that, it does not need to be filtered.

Orchid roots are not designed to grow well submerged in water. They are designed to grow on trees, where they become wet during rains, but dry somewhat in-between rains. That is why I don't recommend water culture. With some orchids, you can soak the roots briefly ( for maybe one half hour) in a vase, then discard the water and leave the roots in an empty vase; this is sometimes called vase culture (the roots are allowed to dry in-between waterings, which may be once a day, or every two days). Vanda orchids, for example, can do well with vase culture. But, leaving any epiphytic orchid (Cattleya, Phalaenopsis) with its roots always submerged in water will eventually kill the roots and plant.

[mooburr]

When you do repot I'd like to say do not be tempted by the MiracleGro orchid potting mix. I don't know what you prefer to use but I have found that this mix has too much dirt and fine particulates and is not chunky and airy enough. Some big box stores carry Better-Gro orchid mixes which I like for my plants. Or there are places online where you can purchase good quality mixes. Just my two-cents. Good luck! Keep us posted on your plants' progress.

[LJeziorska]

Thank you orchidwhisperer and mooburr for your respond I repot them back as I had them before because I do not have ceramic pots where I live doesn't rain regularity so unfortunately I cannot water them with rain water I am using filtered water hopefully new roots will grow but I do like your suggestion for sure I will purchase ceramic pots and try this method if new roots don't grow in the next weeks as the medium I do not going to trust miracle gro brand for anything again I will try different brands an regarding of water culture I did was concern since orchids don't like water but someone I know had successful experiences with that method her orchids even bloom in water culture which I found very unexpected I also hear of hydroton clay pellets many good reviews about it I been looking around my area but haven't seen it yet !

I also came back today with two new phal ... I can't stop myself hehe!

Thank you soo much all for every help and tips very appreciated


LJeziorska