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not sure I can save it.

10 years ago

I got a beautiful phalaenopsis orchard after returning to work from maternity leave. It looked healthy but I should have known better. It was packed in a plastic cup stuffed with wood chips which was placed into another plastic container. I work from home all but one day a week which worked out perfect for watering schedule. I would water, let dry out for a week and then water again. I started to notice when I came in to the office that the medium was still moist so I skipped a week of watering and when I came back the next week I saw the same thing. I took the orchid out of the outside pot only to find out that the plant was sitting in a few inches of water. I never watered it that much so I asked around and found out that one of my coworkers had been watering the plant, and not just a little water but a bunch. I dumped all the water out and hoped the plant would dry out. I also added a post-it asking everyone please not to water the orchid. A few weeks went by and the plant looked a little better. I also noticed some growth on the spike which I thought were flowers but found out to be Keikis (2 of them). I bought an orchid pot and some black gold orchid mix thinking it would be a good idea to repot. When I took the orchid out of the clear plastic pot everything just fell off the bottom. What was left was an orchid with very few roots all which were rotten. Im pretty new to growing Orchids so I Googled what to do and saw quite a few posts about cutting all the dead roots off and letting sit for a few days before repotting and watering. So I did this and put cinnamon on the cuts. Its been almost a month since I did this but so far no new root growth. The plant is sprouting new leaves but the older existing leaves are getting shriveled. I attached a picture of the bottom of the plant. Not sure what to do now. I really like the plant and hoped I could actually get it to grow. Now Im not sure if its going to survive.

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Comments (2)

jane__ny
10 years ago
If you are getting new leaves on the mother plant that is good. Cut off the kekies if they have roots and pot separately. Make sure you keep the mother plant warm and in a bright spot. It should grow new roots although the timing is not good.

If it is growing new leaves, don't worry about the old leaves. They were affected by the loss of the roots. You could try a little rooting hormone on the remaining roots.

Jane
greentoe357
10 years ago
Jessie, I got a couple orchids in a similar situation with almost no healthy roots a few months ago. They are doing fine now. People gave me good advice here: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/orchids/msg080116331106.html. Hopefully it can help you too.

Good luck reviving it. Please keep us posted. Other than no roots, the plant looks healthy. It can regrow roots given the right environment.
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If it is a fairy well rooted cutting with more than one cane and there is a little peace of wood with a "eye" that can sprout a new shoot it might survive. If the rootsystem is good, it might also sprout from the root. If it was a very new cutting chances are slim. You could also take cuttings and root your self. It costs no more than the potting soil and perhaps some rooting hormone, but rooting hormone is not really needed. Does roses in you area do well ownroot? Some roses do very well ownroot even in areas with long and cold winters. Take a cane from your rose of choice that are in full bloom or has just bloomed. The small eyes that are placed where the leafs are joint to the cane are suppose to be a bit swollen but not yet become a new shoot. The theory is that then the cane is full of energy for growth and roots more easily. Cut of the flowers / spent flowers on the top, save two or three pairs of leafs, let there be two or three eyes (where you have taken the leafs of) under the soil and three above. Stick the cane in a pot with ordinary watered potting soil and have a clear plastic bag over it, sort of a mini green house. It is best if the plastic do not touch the leafs too much, and the leafs could be trimmed a bit. Place the pot in a shady place, no direct sun at all is preferable. It works very well in june and july when the temperature is warm both day and night. Not much water is needed because of the plastic bag, but the soil must not dry. After two-three weeks the cutting will show if roots have developed. If is still looks healthy after three weeks chances are good. If the pot is not too big white new roots will stick out at the bottom of the pot. When you notice roots have formed it is time to adjust the plant to normal air. Cut of a corner of the plastic bag and let it breath a couple of days, then the other corner and then take the whole plastic bag of. When it has grown a bit it can be put in the ground. It is best to protect against the harshest hottest sun at first. Taking cuttings is very easy, just take a few and don't give up. It is not much work, the pot just stands in a shady spot and the plant does most of the work.
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