Don't Throw It Away! Rotten Orchid Roots Come Back Like This.

If your orchid is sitting in water, in a bowl, a glass, or a decorative pot without drainage holes, and the leaves are turning yellow or becoming soft, this video is for you. Someone asked me twice in five minutes last week, so I know many of you are unsure. Should you keep orchids submerged in water? Almost never. And the reason is something most people have never heard before. It will shock you. Look at this. Dry orchid roots are silvery white. I dip them in water, and within seconds they turn green. That silvery layer is called velamen. It acts like a sponge. It absorbs water very quickly, and then it needs to dry out again. Why does it need to be dry? Because orchid roots need to breathe. In nature, Phalaenopsis orchids grow on tree bark, not in soil. Their roots hang freely in the air. They get wet from rain, then wind and air dry them within just a few hours. If the roots stay wet all the time, the sponge remains saturated and air cannot get in. the roots suffocate then bacteria invade and that's when the roots turn black and mushy so water is not what kills your orchid lack of air is the main cause this is the trap and it's why so many orchids die from being over cared for the leaves are soft and wrinkled it looks it looks just like it's thirsty so people water it more and the plant gets even worse but look at this the growing medium is soaking wet i can squeeze water out of it the plant isn't thirsty at all. The roots have rotted so they can no longer absorb water. So remember, wrinkled leaves combined with wet growing medium do not mean the plant needs more water. It means you should check the roots. If you keep watering at this point, you will kill the plant. This is the right way to do it. Take a shallow tray, fill it with gravel or pebbles, place the pot on top of the stones, and the bottom of the pot must always stay dry. It should never touch the water. The water evaporates and increases the humidity around the plant. That is the whole purpose. The roots stay dry while the air stays humid. If the water rises above the stones and the pot has no drainage holes, that is a slow death. You've seen orchids growing in glass vases filled with water and some of them thrive. Water culture can work, but only under two conditions. First, the roots must adapt. Roots grown in pine bark are different from roots grown in water. When you move the plant into water, most of the old roots will die, and the plant must grow new water-adapted roots. This takes several weeks, and some plants won't survive. Second, most growers don't keep their orchids submerged in water permanently. The common method is to follow a cycle. Two days soaking the roots in water, then five days completely dry. What never works is taking an orchid out of pine bark and keeping it submerged in water forever. That's not hydroponics, it's slowly killing the plant. Before cutting anything, learn how to distinguish the three types of roots. Gently squeeze each one between two fingers. Healthy roots are firm, silvery white when dry, green when wet. Rotten roots are brown or black, and when squeezed, water comes out and the outer layer slips off. Only a thin thread remains inside. That root is dead, cut it off. And here is the type people often mistake. Dead, dried roots. They are brown, but hard and hollow, and crackle when squeezed. It is also dead, but not from overwatering. It died from drying out. Cut it off too. If your orchid is sitting in water, here's what you need to do today. One, cut off all rotten roots. Use scissors wiped with alcohol and wipe them again between each cut. Cut back to firm tissue. Two, rinse the roots with water to see their condition clearly and remove any debris. Three, leave the plant bare in the air for a few hours until the cut surfaces feel dry to the touch. Four, repot it in fresh, airy-growing medium. choose a pot with drainage holes at the bottom. Use pine bark mixed with a little charcoal as the growing medium. Do not use compact soil. The roots need space between the pieces. Then place the plant in the pot and spread the growing medium around it without packing it tightly. Five, and this is the difficult part, do not water for about a week. The plant has almost no roots left and wet growing medium without roots is exactly how it rots again. So to answer the question I received, no. Orchids should not be kept submerged in water. The roots need to get wet, then they need to dry. Wet, dry, wet, dry. That rhythm is the whole secret. A humidity tray is fine, as long as the pot never touches the water. Does your orchid pot have drainage holes? Check and let me know in the comments. If you enjoy my plant care and recovery videos, please subscribe to Happiness Garden. You can also use the super thanks button below to support me in creating more plant care videos. Thank you for watching and becoming a part of the Happiness Garden family. See you again in the next videos.