My boyfriend gave me this beautiful orchid around a week ago. The buds have all bloomed and I'm so in love! I haven't watered it yet, been checking the roots everyday and they're still very bright green and I can see moisture against the container. But I'm concerned because the aerial roots are silver and cracking while the roots in the soil seem to be rotting in places… I can't tell if it's too wet or too dry! I don't know what to do!
– Are the roots in danger of rotting? and if so are they saveable, should i repot them with a different medium or something?
-Should I spray the aerial roots? I know they're supposed to get moisture from the air, I live in Houston TX and its crazy humid here so I don't know why they're so dry. I'm scared to spray them since i know you're not supposed to get the crown wet.
I don't have many plants because I'm scared of killing them, and now it feels like I'm already messing up and I just got it :,,( I've been trying my best to research but there's a lot of conflicting information, so I'd really appreciate any advice.
by manymerryrats
3 Comments
Spray the aerial roots and also repot it into a bigger pot so it’s easier to water the aerial roots without having the water fall on the floor, make sure to leave a small empty hole inside the new pot though so the plant can dry out quickly, also only water it when the leaves are very soft to the touch
You don’t need to do anything to the aerial roots, they aren’t important to the health of the orchid. Focus on keeping the roots in the pot happy. They look fine for now but are in very densely packed moss with almost no drainage. I’d just water very sparingly when dry until the flowers drop, then repot in a bark/moss mix with good drainage
I hate these mega tight crappy plastic pots orchids come in with literally no airflow and the most densely packed moss known to man. I repot them as soon as they’ve acclimated a bit when getting them in a bark/moss mixture (ratio based on room conditions) in an orchid pot with more holes for airflow.