We save the orchid: how to reanimate it if the roots deteriorate or have already decayed?

All gardeners who are fond of orchid cultivation know how whimsical this plant can be. It so happens that in the outwardly ground part of the flower it does not look painful at all, but the orchid somehow perishes for some reason. It's all about diseases of the root system. Today we will tell you how to reanimate a plant whose roots have just rotted and can an orchid be saved if it is already dying, that is, all the roots are completely rotten and the leaves are sluggish? In the article, we will gradually describe the methods of resuscitation of a plant whose root system rots, and also show a photo of this problem.

What is it and what does it look like?

Rotting of the roots is a disease that can be caused by improper care or attack of any pests. Most often this happens in the autumn-winter period, when the plant does not have enough sunlight, and the temperature in the room decreases. You need to get rid of the plant only in the very least. In almost 90% of cases, you have every chance of saving a flower. The main thing is to find the cause of this disease.

Usually a healthy root system is green, the branches are greasy, fleshy and resilient. When the first signs of illness appear on the roots, they turn yellow, sometimes brown, and to the touch the underground part of the flower becomes soft and as if empty (when you press the roots, they simply open in your hands and easily detach from the healthy part.

How to distinguish a healthy root system from a patient?

To determine if the root system is sick, you need to perform a few simple manipulations:

1. Water the plant.
2. Watch it after that (remember that you must have a transparent pot). Healthy rhizomes after moistening the soil become green, but the affected roots will be dirty white or brown. These areas inside have already become empty, so they are not saturated with moisture.Reference! The ground portion of the roots will look even darker. If healthy roots are thick, then the diseased will be flat.

Forecast for the plant

At first, you may not even notice that the orchid has any problems with the rhizome. The buds can bloom as usual, and the leaves look great to the last: tight and green. Even if you have a transparent pot, you will not always notice that the roots began to rot (at the edges they can be green and whole).

Is it possible to save a plant with rotten roots - it depends on the stage of the lesion. If you do not recognize the problem on time, the entire root system will simply die, and then it is natural that the plant will not eat from anywhere, and it will die. therefore for timely detection of a problem, often get an orchid out of the pot and carefully inspect all its sections, so as not to say goodbye once and for all to your favorite.

How to identify a problem at an early stage?

If you periodically inspect the root system of the orchid, then at the next check you should be alert for the following factors:

• fluid leaks from the rhizomes;
• they are covered with a mucous membrane and constantly wet to the touch;
• the color of rotting roots approaches brown-black;
• the smell of decay comes from the flower.

Photo

Check out how rotten orchid roots look in the photo:

Resuscitation facilities at home

Chemicals

Let's consider how to save an orchid with rotten roots with the help of special preparations. In most cases, it will be necessary to deal with this disaster with the help of insecticides and acaricides. We will name the most popular and current tools.:

1. "Actofit."
2. Inta-vir.
3. "Actellicus."
4. "Tsvetofos".
5. "Bitoxibacillin."
6. "Actara."
7. "Fufan."
8. Vermitek.

But in case of fungal diseases (gray rot, fusariosis, root rot, powdery mildew or anthracnose), other therapeutic agents will be needed - fungicides:

• Fitosporin. "
• Fundazole
• "Oksikhom."
• Topas.
• "Fitoplus".
• "Immunotitophyte."

How to process from folk remedies?

If the roots of your green friend begin to rot, it can be saved with the help of tried and tested folk remedies, and below we will tell you how to do it.

1. The most common folk remedy is soap solution. It is very simple to prepare it:
   • take a bar of household (this is important!) soap and dilute it in two or three liters of standing water;
   • after that, lower the roots into the resulting solution for 5-10 minutes.
2. Cyclamen tuber decoction. How to cook it:
   • you need to boil coarsely chopped tubers for about forty minutes;
   • then give the broth 24 hours to insist;
   • then strain and act the same way as with a soapy solution.
3. Sometimes pests are not only on the roots, but also in the substrate itself. To lure them out, lay on top of the soil chopped raw potatoes or apple.
4. You can immerse the roots in another miracle solution from olive oil (two tablespoons per liter of water).
5. The last folk recipe - onion infusion:
   • take a few onions and boil them for half an hour;
   • let the broth cool and stand for twelve hours;
   • after that, hold the roots in the resulting tincture for 7-10 minutes.

Step-by-step pest management instructions

1. Isolate the affected plant from other healthy ones. In this case, immediately process the place where the flower pot stood.
2. Remove the roots from the flowerpot and brush off the soil from them. Then thoroughly rinse the underground part of the phalaenopsis under running water.
3. Remove damaged areas and treat the cut points with powdered charcoal.
4. In the initial stages of the attack, the orchid can be treated with folk remedies (most often with a soap solution). If the case has gained steeper turns, you will have to turn to chemicals for help.
5. In the first couple of days, do not place the plant on a substrate. Better wrap the rhizomes with a plastic bag and place it in a cool and dark place so that the effect of a greenhouse is formed. In this situation, the pests will not survive. But do not let the flower begin to sing. Otherwise, this will lead to new problems with phalaenopsis.
6. After all these manipulations, plant the plant in new soil.

Solving the problem of compacted substrate

When you do not change the soil in a pot for a long time, it is crushed. Due to this, the soil becomes more dense, does not allow air and water to pass through, because of which the roots begin to rot.

To avoid this, you must:

• Change soil mix more often.
• If the decay has already occurred, remove the flower from the pot, cut off the affected areas, and treat the remaining ones with charcoal.
• Place the plant in a new soil mixture. When buying a finished mixture, make sure that it consists of large parts. But you can prepare the soil yourself, taking for this pine bark and sphagnum moss. Keep the purchased and self-prepared soil for twelve hours in the freezer to prevent the presence of various pests.

Fungal Disease Control

Fungal diseases arise as a result of improper care, or rather, due to excessive watering or too high room temperature.

To combat such diseases, follow these instructions.:

1. Remove the flower from the soil and cut off the already affected parts (Do not forget about the treatment of the cut sections with ash).
2. After that, water the plant well and after two hours treat the roots and soil with fungicidal preparations (pour the solution directly into the soil).
3. Put phalaenopsis in a cool and dark place for a week.
4. To prevent the further development of fungal disease, treat with fungicides the entire terrestrial part of the orchid.

How to save the plant in case of mechanical damage?

It happens that the underground part of the plant begins to rot due to the fact that you damaged it. Here again, you need to get rid of damaged processes and be sure to treat everything with charcoal.

Then place the plant in the ground and provide the orchid with full care, not forgetting the conditions of detention, as well as the importance of top dressing.

If the matter is too concentrated fertilizer

If the florist incorrectly spread the fertilizing, then he has every chance in this way to ruin the orchid. As these plants are too sensitive to an overdose of trace elements, especially potassium and phosphorus, burns may remain on their roots.

In order to save phalaenopsis, you need to stop feeding and transplant the flower into a new substrate. The main thing is not to damage the roots when transplanting.

Help in case of waterlogging of the soil

As you know, a prerequisite for our beauty is the presence of a large amount of light. If it is enough, then the water from the soil evaporates with ease. But with the onset of autumn, the light becomes several times less, which is why the liquid does not disappear anywhere.

Therefore, in order to avoid such an unpleasant situation, always place the flower pot in a well-ventilated placewhich should be sufficiently lit. And always make sure that the soil is loosened.

If, nevertheless, you poured a flower, and its roots began to rot, remove them from the soil, remove the spoiled processes, and dry the remaining ones for 24 hours. After that, plant the orchid in a new or dried old substrate.

How to save a plant with completely rotten roots and sluggish leaves?

In case the roots rotted and the leaves remained, the simplest and therefore a common way to save an orchid is to build up the root system in water. How to do this, we will tell below.

1. Remove all decayed and damaged processes.
2. Treat the trimmed areas with ash and dry for 2-3 hours.
3. Add roots to chemical treatments to prevent recurrence of the disease.
4. It will not be superfluous to hold the plant for 30 minutes in a growth stimulator.
5. Then place the orchid in a container of water in which charcoal is added. Many professional flower growers recommend keeping only the very tip of the plant in the water, and some argue that it needs to be kept a couple of millimeters above the water. Both the first and second methods are correct.
6. Constantly renew water.
7. After a couple of months, the first roots should appear. After that, you need to transplant them into the sphagnum moss.
8. When a sufficient number of roots has grown, transplant phalaenopsis into ordinary soil for orchids.

How to reanimate with a greenhouse?

If you have a greenhouse at home, then you can save the plant with its help. The first four points will be the same as when resuscitating with immersion in water.

And then proceed as follows:

• Pour a thin expanded clay layer into the pot.
• Spread a small layer of sphagnum moss on top, which must first be microwaved.
• Carefully pour all this and place the leaf outlet there.
• Provide the air temperature in the greenhouse within 22-28 degrees of heat and humidity in the range of 70-100 percent. And the lighting should be long - up to twelve hours a day.
• Keep the flower in such conditions until the roots grow to a size of 3-5 centimeters. After that, it is allowed to put the phalaenopsis in a normal pot and continue to care in accordance with all the rules.

Preventive measures

After the first case of root rot, review the conditions of detention:

• adjust watering;
• set the watering mode;
• prevent fungal diseases;
• Inspect the orchid root system more often.

So, we examined why the roots of a home or recently purchased orchid rot and what to do if such a disaster has occurred. As you can see, it is quite difficult to save the bending plant, but it is still possible, even if only the leaves are left, and there are practically no healthy roots. Therefore, be patient and fight hard for the health of your homely beauty.

Watch the video: Phalaenopsis ROOT ROT & REPOT Pt1 How to deal with Root Rot on a Phalaenopsis Orchid (May 2024).