How to handle this nearly dead root system

[JerseyOrchid]

Hi All.
I’m new to the forum. I love orchids, but I’m not a good Orchid owner. I’m one of those ones that buy an orchid, enjoy it, ignore it, toss it. (I’m not proud of that). But I’m trying to change! I’ve got 4 orchids that I’ll try to nurse back to health. Here is one of them. So, my questions are:

1. Should i cut off the remaining broken roots? If I do, there will only be one (if I’m lucky)

2. If I cut the remaining roots off, how deep in the medium should I plant the orchid (should that new couple sprouts of leaves be buried?

Just a note for perspective, the leaves are about the size of my hand and the old grow(stem?) is about 3 inches long.

Thanks for any help. Hoping I can redeem my my old miss-deeds to those orchids that came before these ones!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by JerseyOrchid

Hi All.
I’m new to the forum. I love orchids, but I’m not a good Orchid owner. I’m one of those ones that buy an orchid, enjoy it, ignore it, toss it. (I’m not proud of that). But I’m trying to change! I’ve got 4 orchids that I’ll try to nurse back to health. Here is one of them. So, my questions are:

1. Should i cut off the remaining broken roots? If I do, there will only be one (if I’m lucky)

2. If I cut the remaining roots off, how deep in the medium should I plant the orchid (should that new couple sprouts of leaves be buried?

Just a note for perspective, the leaves are about the size of my hand and the old grow(stem?) is about 3 inches long.

Thanks for any help. Hoping I can redeem my my old miss-deeds to those orchids that came before these ones!

Don't do any root cutting.

The plant is dehydrated, and needs to be rehydrated.

Get a container such as a glass or plastic jar or tumbler.
Fill with tap water, soak the lower half of the plant for up to a half hour. (Time isn't critical, but you don't want it soaking all the time, and the roots should be able to soak up most of the water they can within a half hour). Drain the water from the jar, you can leave the roots hanging in the jar.

Do this once daily. Keep the plant in a place where to you will remember to do the soak daily (kitchen maybe). Not a completely dark place, but shady is fine.

Don't worry about fertilizer, etc.

The goal:. You are trying to rehydrate the plant enough that it will start growing new roots and leaves. If you accidentally skip a day or two, or soak twice a day instead of once, no big deal. You will lose some lower leaves in the process, don't worry over that.

It could take a while to make some progress, but once you have some roots a few inches long, you can get some advice here about repotting.

Good luck!

[JerseyOrchid]

Thanks Whisperer.
I’ll do that now. I have three others that are also very dehydrated. The roots are (comparatively) in much better condition (still not nice and green but at least the flesh is much more solid). I guess I can do the same process with those.

[fooferdoggie]

it can also live in the water. I had a phal with the same problem I had it mounded and did not do it right. it lsot pretty much all its roots. so I put it in a up of water and changed it often. it is on its second bloom it is the guy one down from the pink guy

[estación seca]

I rarely cut off roots, because most of the time I can't be sure of what's really dead.

[aliceinwl]

If the others have good/okay root systems you can repot them. I followed the directions in Repotting Phalaenopsis (Moth) & Other Monopodial Orchids (minus the aggressive cutting and leaf removal) to good effect. I opted for clear slotted orchid pots rather than clay so that I could visually monitor the root systems.

For supplies, rePotme Orchid Supplies has a good selection of pots and high quality mixes. If you use clear pots and repot with at least one root against the side you can use color as an indication of when to water. When the roots go silver it’s time to water, if they’re still green wait. Watering frequency will depend on your individual conditions, I have mine in a bark based mix in clear slotted pots and I am able to get by with a 5-10 minute soak every 7 days, making them super easy keepers for me.

Also, do not apply peroxide or cinnamon to the roots. This will kill them. It’s popular with some folks on YouTube, but tends to result in near complete root death.

In terms of planting depth you want the bases of all the living leaves to be above the level of the substrate. I second the advice about a soaking regime for the one pictured. This one also has a keiki (new plantlet) at the bottom. If you’re successful recovering the parent plant via the soaking regime, it may develop enough roots to be potted separately.

[JerseyOrchid]

Thanks for the input everyone! What a great source of information on this site!
I’ll pot the other orchids that have roots and continue to nurse the one without roots.

[JerseyOrchid]

Here they are in their new apartments!
Fingers crossed.

[Orchid Whisperer]

When you get to repotting, another option for potting media is your local Lowe's, Home Depot, or similar garden center; Better Gro orchid bark (available at these stores) is of good quality, and holds up well, lasting 2 to 3 years if not over-watered. I usually don't bother with the "mixes". Typically $5.00 for 8 quarts.

[HailStarscream]

Originally Posted by JerseyOrchid

Hi All.
I’m new to the forum. I love orchids, but I’m not a good Orchid owner. I’m one of those ones that buy an orchid, enjoy it, ignore it, toss it. (I’m not proud of that). But I’m trying to change! I’ve got 4 orchids that I’ll try to nurse back to health. Here is one of them. So, my questions are:

1. Should i cut off the remaining broken roots? If I do, there will only be one (if I’m lucky)

2. If I cut the remaining roots off, how deep in the medium should I plant the orchid (should that new couple sprouts of leaves be buried?

Just a note for perspective, the leaves are about the size of my hand and the old grow(stem?) is about 3 inches long.

Thanks for any help. Hoping I can redeem my my old miss-deeds to those orchids that came before these ones!

Looks like you've got a basal keiki on there! It's the little "baby plant" at the base. Don't cover it with bark when you repot because it might rot. I wouldn't cut it off or anything like that either. Just leave it because it is benefiting the mother plant by contributing new leaves and roots.