Saving Pachara Delight seedling! - Orchid Board

ThisIsPhoenix · #1 01-11-2012, 07:11 PM

About 4 weeks ago I received an order of 6 different vandas, all of which arrived dry root. I started them all off in vase culture, but because of their tiny size they weren't holding in any humidity. Last week, school started back up and because of this I was also struggling to give them enough water. Reading somewhere that you could pot them loosely with large wood chips I attempted this, hoping it would help with my watering regimen. Today I desided I would check the roots to make sure they were doing good in medium, and to my dismay most of them had spots of completely dry or rotting roots. I have already trimmed and treated them as necessary, but some concerns have arisen about the Pachara Delight's status. While all the others had enough roots that trimming them back didn't hurt their root mass too much, the P. Delight only has two very short roots left, neither of which look to be in the best shape (slightly brown/black, but still greenish and firm).

What I really need to know is what would be the best way to treat it. I know spag n bag is a good option, however the one time I tried it (on a phal) it didn't work. With the same phal though, I tried water culture as a last ditch effort and it worked/is working (still in rehab). I'm desperate to save this orchid and need any help or advice I can get.

Gage · #2 01-11-2012, 07:33 PM

Sorry to hear they they are having trouble. I would put it in vase culture and just do whatever you need to do to hold in the humidity. You can try different sized food jars and/or use plastic wrap over the top. Or you can just tie a little sphag around the roots. Hope this helps.

Vanda lover · #3 01-12-2012, 01:31 PM

I had my seedlings in vase culture and they weren't doing all that well. Someone suggested potting them in loose sphag in baskets, and they took off like a shot! I also added some charcoal to the sphag, since I have been growing my largest vanda this way for years. I don't need to soak them as often this way. I think vase culture is great for plants with lots of roots.

ThisIsPhoenix · #4 01-14-2012, 03:59 PM

I'll have to try the loose sphag idea. One problem about that though, is that I don't have any baskets or any way to get any in the area I live. Especially small enough for the seedling. I have the tiny plastic pots that came with them. Would it work if I potted it up in one of those loosely with sphag? And would I need to increase air circulation in the growing area?

Thanks for the suggestions.

Vanda lover · #5 01-14-2012, 04:52 PM

You could put lots of holes in your pot or use what ever type of basket you can find that is no too tightly woven, until you can find something better.
You could go to a second hand store if you have one and maybe find one there. Another option would be drilling holes in twigs and putting them together with wire.

Wjs2nd · #6 02-05-2012, 09:22 AM

You could also wrap the sphag and vanda together with wire mesh. You could also leave you vanda in ome water for an hour or so. Then, take it out. Do that once a day and it should help you vanda get the water it needs.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #7 02-05-2012, 10:16 AM

Or you could just pot them up in a clear plastic pot/homemade container with drain holes in medium to large grade bark.

I have them potted, and they do just fine.

Vanda lover · #8 02-05-2012, 01:41 PM

With the large bark, isn't it difficult to tell when they need water? I like sphag and charcoal because if the orchid is in a basket, it dries quickly and it is easy to tell when it is dry. I find that I only need to water my large vanda once a week in the winter this way, but the smaller the plant the more often I need to water.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #9 02-05-2012, 02:06 PM

I've never found growing potted in bark to be a problem, especially if the pot is clear. I've never really run into a situation where the Vanda rotted out using the clear pot and the bark method. Maybe if the pot was opaque, then I'd see an issue.

ThisIsPhoenix · #10 02-05-2012, 03:46 PM

Well since I'm unable to get a hanging basket I had to improvise. After seeing a post somewhere else on here, I switched it over into a soap holder with holes in it for the same effect. It is in a sphag/lava rock mix for air flow and humidity (and yes I cleaned the lava rock first). While it was in the tiny pot it began to sprout 2 new roots, but as I was repotting it I noticed that the tips of the new roots were blacked and not growing any more. What would be the cause of that? So far it has managed to hold on and looks really healthy other than the roots.