Phal with only one root left - needs saving

[Charles_NewRows]

When I’m treating a very sick orchid I usually do the sphag and bag method. I’ve found that the key is keeping the humidity near 100% without having to mist the plant. If the crown stays wet too long when a plant is seriously compromised things can Uturn quickly. This method allows the plant to focus on recovering rather than trying to control its own hydration with a damaged root system.

I attached a few pictures of a SEVERLY sick orchid that I received recently. It was not properly protected during shipping and became insanely dehydrated. This is the most dehydrated orchid I’ve ever seen, it was quite literally an orchid cracker.

Step one is always hydrating the best you can, and figuring out which parts of the plant is still viable. I soaked this plant for an hour and then bagged it for two days because it was in such bad shape. After two days I was able to tell which roots were still viable. Unfortunately almost all of the roots were bad and there was a severe fungal infection. But this was actually good news in a way, I thought the plant may of been toast.

Step two is clearing out the rot. I pruned off the dead roots and treated the plant with a fungicide. Usually I treat infections with hydrogen peroxide, but due to the severity I used daconil. For hydrogen peroxide I dip the roots for about 45 seconds, spray the leaves (if necessary); and then let the plant sit for an hour under a small fan. For daconil I let the plant sit for 14-24 hours in a dark, 78 deg spot.

Step three is when I seal the plant in a zip lock bag or airtight container. You don’t want to plant the roots (lol or root in this case) it’s good to have as much air around the plant as possible and a potting mix is not needed for hydration while the plant is sealed. It is important to stand up the plant. I like staking it on top of a little cup or perlite. Then I add some slightly damp sphagnum moss in one of the corners of the bag, you only need about a tablespoon of water. I like putting the sphag in a clay pot just to keep it separate and the clay will help the Water evaporate. ***the wet sphag should NEVER come in contact with the plant during this process** Then just seal the bag most of the way, then blow into the bag to inflate it, and then seal the bag. That’s pretty much it. I usually open the bag about once a week to let in some fresh air and check for fungi reacurance. It is very important that the plant receives bright indirect light while recovering. I like using grow lights for this since it allows me to provide just the spectrum that I want without the heat and radiation.

Hopefully someone will find this helpful. This is a method that has worked for me, but you should always research multiple resources. Happy Gardening,

Charles L.