HELP! My Aerangis biloba is not doing well..

[NJPaphguy]

I just acquired a new orchid - an Aerangis biloba - in a 2"pot. I immediately took the plant out of the pot and noticed half the roots were rotted and black. After cleaning up the plant and repotting, I see this plant is now left with only 3 decent roots, but the plant looks "dehydrated". Any ideas on how I should treat this plant ? thanks.

[Mini-catts]

I would suggest mounting it on cork or a stick. You can use a few strands of new zealand moss around the roots. Mist on a daily basis with pure water. You can also enclose in a terrarium for a few days to get the leaves to hydrate again.
Pete

[kmarch]

I think you have done well so far, removing the rotten roots and repotting. I think 3 healthy roots are good. It's more than some plants end up with. I think form this point on the most important thing will be excellent culture, giving the plant the conditions it expects. Good luck and keep us posted!

[mehitabel]

I haven't resuscitated aerangis, but as a general rule for any plant, soaking the entire plant, leaves and all will tend to temporarily crisp up (ie rehydrate) the leaves. It's basically the same thing you do when you soak a head of lettuce to crisp it.

Put 2 Tbsp of sugar and some superthrive/quart of water. This is per Bob Gordon's instructions for rehydrating wilting phal leaves. Soak for several hours.

After repotting, Gordon recommends misting the leaves twice a day for several days with water with superthrive in it.

This has worked for me with several phals. Worth a try with your aerangis.

[LouisW]

The roots are not taking up water fast enough to supply the leaves with sufficient water so they are flopping and wrinking. If you raise the humidity around the plant it slows the loss of water throught the leaves, allowing the roots to catch up a little. You can maintain the plant like this for enough time for it to start growing a new, healthy root system.

I also reccomend raising the humidity rather than misting, and soaking is also a good idea. Under these conditions be sure to take measures against rot, such as good airflow and making sure there is not water sitting on the leaves for long.