Root rot?

[Martine]

I'm in the process of repotting an orchid (only my second time repotting ever). The 1st orchid I repotted had loads of really nice roots, this one, obviously, has very few. How do they look? Are they ok? Is that really dark part above the roots normal? Or is it rot? It seems to have a lot of new roots starting to grow out. It has two green growths, as you can see in the pictures, just at the base of the plant. I assume these are roots, though one kinda looks like a spike, but how would I know? Haha! I just wanted to know if there was anything I should do before repotting it, or if it will be fine after repotting. Thanks!

[Aleksa]

To me, your plant looks healthy. If those roots are firm than there is nothing to worry about.

[brookn]

It looks like it has a bit of it, I would give the whole root system a good soak in some peroxide for a while and trim off as much dead as you can. That should clean it up just fine. Cut any mushy or broken roots also.

[Martine]

Thanks!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think that plant should go in a smaller pot than the roots will want to allow. Try my method of placing in a series of sized pots, moving progressively smaller every 12 hours or so. That way you can gradually bend the roots without breaking them to get the plant into a reasonably small pot. Big pots are a recipe for disaster. Wet paper towels on top during the process will allow you to keep the roots wet and to press downward on the roots to help the process.

[Martine]

Thanks, Cynthia!