How to carry out at home resuscitation of an orchid without roots? Step-by-step instruction
Any grower is upset if his favorite plants begin to fade and disappear. Very often this happens due to ignorance of how to properly care for a flower and what conditions suit it.
The queen of flowers, an orchid, is no exception: with the wrong approach to caring for this chic plant, it ceases to please with its magnificent flowering and can very quickly disappear. Why is this happening and how to reanimate a flower at home and stimulate its growth if the roots begin to disappear? Is it possible to save, and if so, how? About what to do if the flower has no vegetative organs, read on.
Major mistakes
- The main reason why the roots of an orchid begin to disappear is improper watering. The orchid does not tolerate waterlogging, the roots that are in such a substrate immediately begin to rot. A sufficient amount of time should pass between waterings so that the substrate has time to dry. If you once made such a mistake, then this will not lead to the fact that the plant begins to disappear, but if you systematically fill the roots of the orchid with water, then there is no harm.
- An important role is played by orchid lighting. I must say that in poor lighting, the roots of the flower grow slowly, and, consequently, the growth of the whole plant stops. This problem is most often encountered in the autumn-winter period.
- The presence of fungal and bacterial infections of a plant can also lead to its death very quickly (for details about what flower diseases exist and what are the methods of their treatment, read here, and how to save an orchid from mold on the roots, leaves, and other parts of the plant, we described in this article).
- Orchid has quite delicate roots, which are very sensitive to the excessive content of macronutrients in the fertilizer, especially phosphorus and potassium. This can lead to burns with fertilizers, and, as a result, to the death of the roots and drying of the plant.
How to understand that a vegetative organ disappears?
First of all, the roots begin to change their appearance, their color changes. But you should not completely rely solely on this symptom, because the substances in the soil can affect the color of the roots of the orchid. It is necessary to inspect the roots.
Healthy roots should be firm and resilient, if when you press the root with your finger or fingernail, the place of pressure is pressed, this only means that it is already dead and not useful, but, on the contrary, can harm the orchid.
The main signs that the roots are gone:
- The color of the roots has darkened (about why leaves and roots turn black and how to help the plant, read here).
- If you press a finger on the root, moisture appears from it.
- Weak and necrotic areas are visualized on the roots.
- Damaged areas are threadlike.
Effects
If all the roots of the orchid have disappeared, it is necessary to remove all the decayed fate and as soon as possible proceed to the resuscitation of the plant. With the right approach, the plant most often comes to life and begins to bloom again. Otherwise, the flower may finally disappear.
On a note. The orchid is resuscitated even in those cases when the infected or decayed roots have been completely removed.Next, we will tell you how to grow new roots in an orchid (for details on how to grow orchid roots using root and other means, we talked about this material).
Step-by-step instructions: how to reanimate at home?
Do not despair, if you find rotten roots on any orchid, you can reanimate the flower. It is necessary to follow the recommendations, which we will discuss later.
Below you will learn how to root a plant.
Inventory preparation
In order to grow new roots in an orchid at home, you need to prepare in advance tools such as scissors and a knife, after having sanitized them first. This will allow the most safe for the flower to carry out all the necessary manipulations. It is desirable to pre-grind the toolsso that you can carefully cut the missing sections of the roots, and not tear them.
Pot extraction and trimming
- The orchid is carefully removed from the pot, the substrate in which it was placed is thrown out without regret.
- Further, after inspection, it is necessary to remove all dry and decayed roots with scissors or a sharp knife. Removal tools must be sanitized first. If you have doubts about the size of the decayed part, it is better to cut a little more or even completely remove the root, this, in any case, will be better than allowing infection with rot.
- The remaining parts of the rhizome should be washed well with clean water. For these purposes, you can also use a light solution of manganese.
- After the roots have dried up, it is advisable to crush the activated carbon into a powder and sprinkle them with all the places of the slices. It can also be placed for 10-15 minutes in a fungicide solution. This is done in order to prevent infection from entering the damaged tissues and to minimize the risk of infection of the plant with harmful fungi, so that all your work will not be in vain.
Choosing a recovery method
There are different ways to resuscitate an orchid. We will describe the most popular ones, but choose you.
Using a greenhouse
Very often, gardeners have window greenhouses at their disposal. This is an ideal place in which the orchid will be most comfortable, because there will be consistently high humidity and optimal temperature. In the greenhouse, you can try to restore even a seriously weakened plant.
The first thing you need to do is prepare a container in which you will root your orchid in the future:
- At the bottom, you need to pour a small layer of expanded clay.
- A layer of steamed sphagnum should be laid on top, which must be previously well cleaned.
- Your next step should be to place a leaf outlet. For this purpose, the substrate should be moistened and a leaf socket will be placed in it.
The plant should be under cover until its roots are formed, the length of which should be 3-5 cm.
Reference. For this purpose, it is necessary to maintain air humidity of approximately 70-100%, and its temperature should not fall below 22 degrees. Do not forget about the lighting, which should be bright for 12-14 hours a day.With the right approach to this method, you will quickly see how your favorite orchid has changed, very soon it will delight you with its magnificent flowering.
By planting in a substrate
But what if you do not have a greenhouse? Do not despair, there are other ways to reanimate an orchid, for example, by planting in a substrate. For these purposes, it is necessary to prepare a pot in which there will be expanded clay and a substrate from sphagnum moss.
- Previously, the flower is removed from rotten and damaged roots and planted in a prepared pot.
- Now you should make sure that the soil in it is constantly moistened, but do not confuse this concept with constant watering!
Make sure that the water does not stagnate at the bottom of the pototherwise, it will again lead to rotting of the roots.
The temperature in the room should be at least 23 degrees, and ideally stable 25.
Watch a video about resuscitation an orchid without roots planted in moss:
The room in the water
Is it possible to put a flower in water to form new roots? Yes, some gardeners use the method of planting orchids in water to build new vegetative organs. How to grow them in water? It would seem that nowhere is simpler: orchid roots are placed in a container, on the bottom of which plain water is poured. Further, the adherents of this method of orchid cultivation promise abundant flowering of the plant and its rapid growth.
Some amateur gardeners still make adjustments and secrets to this method. They recommend adding a teaspoon of sugar syrup or liquid honey per liter of liquid.
Now you know how to help build vegetative organs above water, including neck up.
Watch a video on how to save an orchid without roots in water:
Further plant care
After you have saved your flower from death, take special care to care for it. Try to avoid the mistakes that you made earlier and create the most comfortable conditions for the plant:
- Protect the orchid from direct sunlight, which can burn the delicate petals of its flowers.
- On hot summer days, remove from the windowsill.
- Avoid drafts.
- These flowers can not stand the stuffiness, so do not forget to ventilate the room, and in the summer dry days spray the air in the room.
- Use a special soil mixture for orchids.
- The plant requires bright diffused light, if necessary, use additional illumination.
Recovery duration
After you have carried out an audit in the roots of an orchid and planted it on a prepared substrate, you can wait for the appearance of new roots in 5-7 days. If everything is done correctly, and the conditions of detention are suitable for the flower, then it will quickly please you with its new roots.
When is it already impossible to save?
They try to revive the orchid even when, it would seem, all the roots of the flower have disappeared, but even in such cases, the plant can recover.
Important! Experienced gardeners put up only one requirement - the orchid must have at least one healthy leaf, then the plant can be reanimated.Details about whether it is possible to save an orchid without roots and leaves and how to do it, read in our material.
Conclusion
When the window sill of your house is decorated with flowers as beautiful as your life, moreover, which you managed to grow on your own, it becomes warm in your soul. Do not rush to throw away a plant that has begun to deteriorate and has lost its appearance, because there are many ways to save a flower that has lost up to 90% of its roots.
Following our recommendations, you can certainly reanimate your orchid, and in the future avoid mistakes that could lead to problems, and this noble flower will again delight you with its beauty. Now you know how to grow roots at home again and is it possible to save a baby if all the leaves of the plant are sluggish.