phalaenopsis root problem? (picture)

[emilia]

is this a root problem? the plant has 2 new growths but the roots look sickly. any ideas on diagnosis and/ or cure?
please help!

Photos added as attachments, I couldn't figure out how to add them to the post.

[PhalPal]

Hi emilia and welcome to the forum!!!

Its hard to tell what your roots look like without pulling it out of the pot to get a good look. It does look like there is too much moss around the base of your plant. I would move some of this away from what is called the 'crown.' (center of orchid where growth comes from)
Phals have naturally occuring aerial roots (what you see above the media line). These can look very different from what you will see growing in the media, and in a dry house they will often look a bit dry and unhealthy. If it makes you feel better you can mist them, just be sure not to let water sit inside/between the leaves themselves.
On the plus side, you have a spike and healthy leaves, so I would be tempted to leave well enough alone for now.

[CulpableCaptive]

emilia - I'm a newbie on this forum also .
Many orchids will put out spikes whether their roots are healthy or not - there is a school of thought who believe unhealthy plants should not be allowed to spike (or spike from a previous spike) but brought back to health first.
There is also a school of thought that says if it ain’t broke don’t fix it – let well enough alone. I am not the latter.
The base of that Phal does not look good and I would bet one of my orchids (well, maybe not one of my orchids) that the root system below is not doing well, from too much moisture. I like my plants to be healthy and will disbud or remove spikes of plants that I feel do not have the energy to carry a season’s bloom, rather than lose the plant.
For now, I would let it flower but as soon as the spike has stopped flowering, I would cut the spike all the way down to its base – remove the Phal from the pot and check out those roots. If they are dead, soft, brown, black or mushy, aside from removing them from the plant and repotting, I would switch to a potting medium that holds a bit less water. I would also dust the base of the orchid with powdered cinnamon (which has great natural anti-fungal properties) before I replanted.
Although I can’t be sure, it looks like it is planted in pure Sphagnum moss, which ‘for me’, is inevitable death for my Phals. I don’t know if it is my environment or my watering habits but for some reason I can’t win with Sphagnum. Other people use it exclusively.
I’m sure you will get a number of other opinions and/or suggested remedies.

Good luck. It's terrible to think something might be wrong and not know what to do about it .

[PhalPal]

emilia I have the philosophy that if I am worried about an orchid and don't think it is doing well, the first thing I will do is look at the roots, which means taking it out of the pot. Phals can hold onto their spikes for months, and if you were to wait until the flowers fade before you checked it out further you would have a dead plant if there is indeed something going on with your roots. Your moss looks quite fresh on the top, but this may not be the case all the way to the roots unless you have personally repotted it yourself and know it is consistant.

Overwatering is the #1 reason beginners (or any grower, for that fact) kill their orchids. Sphagnum moss holds a great deal of water and makes it very easy to overwater. It is just a matter of finding out what works best for your plants, in your environment, with your habits.

Phals like to be thouroughly watered, drained well, and not be watered again until they are just slightly damp. This can change throughout the year as climate changes. This is a link that will help you determine when is the best time to water.
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...f-orchids.html

[Hummer344]

I looked at the first picture and saw moss. I think that moss causes more problems for the beginners than its worth. If you take the plant out of the pot I bet it would have many rotten roots. I would re-pot it in bark, perlite, charcole mix. If I buy an orchid that is potted in moss I let it rest at home for a week then repot it. Of all the phals I have done that to, only one shed its flowers.

[emilia]

thanks you so much everybody for the advice and i will change to bark because the moss dose not sound like its that good to use! i appreciate all the help and i will see what happens!

[PhalPal]

Make sure you soak the bark in plain water for 24 hours before you repot! I know, I know, just one more little thing to learn!!

Please post a picture of your orchid when you get her in her new home. I'm curious what the hidden roots look like.

[emilia]

okay i have fine fur bark im not sure if that will work but i have taken the orchid out of the pot and i dont think the roots are looking so good..heres a picture.

[Hummer344]

The roots look better than I thought they would.

[PhalPal]

They sure do!! Your orchid and roots look fine; go ahead and cut whatever brown, mushy pieces you may have from the roots and put it into your bark mix after soaking. Green is good - brown is bad!!! You can just wrap the roots in a wet paper towel for a few days until you get around to potting - it will be fine. Use the skewer method so you know how to water your new choice of media. Another hint, don't be tempted to overpot. Choose one that barely fits the root ball. Overpotting can help with rotting roots because the excess media retains too much water.

Take Captives advice and sprinkle cinnamon on the roots and crown, just the stuff off your spice rack.
Congratulations! You're an orchid geek!!!

[emilia]

oh great thank you so much for the advice. i will repot in the morning!

[PhalPal]

Hey I just noticed you are from Buffalo!!! I have spent a few months back there recently with my husbands family - it was COLD!!
My husband grew up in Tonawanda and his Mom still lives there.

[emilia]

oh yeah it sure is cold with lots of snow! but when you live here all your life you sort of learn to live with it lol! did he live in the town of tonawanda? thats where i am from.

[patticake]

Cool! Another NY-er! Of course we're about 5-6 hours away from you driving. It's good to have you with us!

[emilia]

lol thank you! Its nice to know not everybody lives in Florida or California!

[PhalPal]

Hi lives in the city of Tonawanda, of Delaware and Eugene Street.
Its so confusing.....North Tonawanda, City of Tonawanda and Town of Tonawanda!!!

[11Orchid126]

Emelia, brown roots are not necessarily bad. If they're plump and firm, they're okay. Don't go by the color of the roots but go by their condition. Plump and firm good. Soft, mushy or shrivelled and bone dry not good.

You might consider mixing a bit of the moss in with the fine bark, say 25% or so, as bark dries out quickly, but with the addition of a bit of the moss it will stay damp a bit longer. As Phalpal suggests, use the skewer method of watering.

[NinaG]

I've had this same problem last year with two of my orchids and they were not potted in moss but bark media. The problem occured while I was on a vacation. When I got home noticed that flowers on two Phals were gone after less than a month and leaves were turning yellow. Immediately I repoted them and saw the same yellowish monsters attacking the roots. One Phal didn't make it due to loss of roots caused by this and the other one is recovering (knock on wood). It's developing a new leaf and two root spikes ) Wht you have here, as much as I can see from the picture, is 70 times more of roots than what I had left. Your orchid should be just fine