Orchid is a delicate plant, it requires competent care. If the roots of the orchid rot, the flower has to be revived in stages.
Orchid roots rotted
Causes
The problem of root decay occurs in the winter, when the flower is in a poorly lit place. In a transparent container, it is possible to track how the roots change color, darken, and then rot.
The following conditions affect the process of root rotting:
- If the roots fade, harden and blacken, the orchid suffers from drought.
- The roots die because the plant is flooded.
- An orchid disappears at home due to insufficient lighting, an oversupply or lack of fertilizer, damage from pests and diseases.
- An overly dense substrate is another common reason why roots in an orchid rot.
- Mechanical damage to the roots during reproduction or transplantation.
Problem definition
To save an orchid with rotten roots at home is real, if you catch on time. A number of symptoms indicate a problem:
- the aerial roots have turned black, look soaked or dried out;
- leaves wilted, become soft and less elastic, do not recover even after watering;
- that the roots of the orchid rot, is indicated by a green coating on the walls of the pot (traces of sporulation or algae);
- the release of a large amount of fluid when clicking on the roots;
- a flower that has rotten underground and aerial roots will hang in a pot from side to side;
- buds of a blooming orchid have darkened, wilted or fallen;
- leaves dry or become lethargic, dark.
If any of the signs is found, the flower is removed from the pot and the root system is carefully examined. Roots that are completely rotten away are removed, after which the plant is resuscitated.
How to distinguish living from rotten roots
Living roots from those that have already begun rotting are distinguished by the following signs:
- Living roots, despite the color, when pressed always have a dense and solid structure.
- The rotten root system is brown, sometimes it turns black.
- When pressed in places of decay, the roots are hollow and slimy. The upper cover of such roots is always easily removed, they look like bare threads.
Recover Partially Damaged Instances
If the orchid has only rotted roots, they grow on their own. To carry out the manipulation, prepare a sterile cutting object: secateurs or scissors. First, roots that rot or have already completely blackened are removed. The roots, which have just begun to rot, are removed to a healthy green part, then sprinkled with charcoal. Also, the slice is treated with cinnamon, sulfur, or any good alcohol-free antiseptic. The same is done with the roots, which are preserved.
Then the treated plant is planted in a new container with a diameter of 6-7 cm. It should contain a nutrient mixture.
Further, the orchid is provided with proper care to help recover more quickly:
- provide 12-hour diffused lighting;
- set the temperature in the range of 20-25 ° C;
- keep high humidity - 70-80%.
Conventional watering of the substrate is replaced by irrigation. A container with a flower is placed on a pallet with wet pebbles or expanded clay to provide moisture from below.
A month later, under such conditions, the plant produces young roots.
Ways to restore a flower without roots
We restore the flower
If all the roots have decayed in the orchid, the plant can be restored, although it is much easier to save an orchid with rotten roots than an instance completely without roots.
The choice of recovery method depends on:
- the state of the flower, which began to rot;
- the number and condition of the leaves (they can be rotten, lethargic, contain black spots and fall off en masse);
- the number of formed root primordia at the base of the leaf outlet.
A socket that dies has sluggish, drooping leaves, does not bloom for a long time and eventually fades and blackens. For resuscitation, a high-quality and nutritious substrate with a good structure is required. For this purpose, chopped moss-sphagnum is suitable.
In the process of building watering plants are minimized, it is produced only in the case of complete drying of the earthen coma. With excessive watering, the roots that remain will rot again. A flower is watered in the morning, and only with warm, standing water.
Greenhouse method
In the presence of a window greenhouse with high air humidity and a stably high temperature regime, it is really possible to reanimate even an instance in which the roots are completely rotted.
Plant treatment is carried out in a special container. At the bottom of the tank pour 2-3 cm expanded clay. On top of expanded clay lay moistened and crushed moss-sphagnum.
From above, moss is thoroughly irrigated from a spray bottle, then a leaf outlet without roots is placed in this medium. The plant is kept under such conditions until it releases roots 4-5 cm long.
Germination conditions
To resuscitation was successful, the plant is provided with optimal conditions of detention:
- temperature conditions in the range of 22-28 ° C;
- almost 100% air humidity through frequent irrigation;
- bright, diffuse 12-hour lighting.
In order to stimulate and accelerate the process of root formation in orchids, the greenhouse is ventilated daily at night.
In the process of resuscitation, a leaf outlet is regularly inspected for rot.
Subject to all the rules, the result will not be long in coming: after 2 weeks the plant will release the first roots.
Without the use of a greenhouse
If the orchid has rotted roots, it is possible to save it in ordinary room conditions. The main thing is to provide the plant with a stable temperature in the range of 20-27 ° C. Stray daylight for 12 hours is also required.
The treated outlet is placed in a transparent glass or plastic container. The socket is attached to the tank so that only the basal part is immersed in water. The vessel is filled with boiled or distilled water. Water is poured to the level of the root neck.
To prevent the process of decay of the basal zone, 1 tablet of activated carbon is put into the water. After 10 hours, the outlet is removed, dried and left in this condition until the next morning. Then the flower is planted in a well-moistened sphagnum moss, the root part is irrigated daily with spray water.
If the roots rot in the orchid, it is revived in a more efficient and faster way: sugar syrup or honey (1 tsp) is added to 1 liter of water. The basal zone is dipped in a nutrient solution for a day. Then it is removed, dried and planted in crushed sphagnum moss. Such a flower is moistened daily with a spray bottle.
Outlet Care
At all stages of resuscitation, the plant requires careful care. The process will be successful provided that:
- regular application of slightly concentrated complex dressing;
- fertilizers with iron to help the plant recover faster;
- pouring once a month the root stimulant - Epin, Heteroauxin or Kornevin.
The orchid is cleaned in a warm place with bright diffused lighting.
Resuscitation Dates
The decay of the underground part of the flower can begin at any time of the year. Plants recover especially well in the spring-summer period, during the active vegetation phase.
In order to save the orchid, which has rotting roots, in winter, it is important to provide optimal conditions for germinating the roots that remain.
Conclusion
To revive a plant with rotten roots at home is real. The main thing is to notice the problem in time and provide the flower with comfortable conditions for restoration.
