The Complete Guide to Orchid Root Rot- How It’s Caused, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Orchids are beautiful plants that can be a great addition to a home, but orchid care can also be a challenge. One of the common problems that gardeners have with orchids is that they have root rot. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it can be difficult to identify this problem. In this guide, we will go over what to look out for when your orchid has root rot or Orchid Crown rot and how to get rid of it so your plant faces no more issues in the future!

Don’t let root rot spoil your Orchids

What Is Orchid Root Rot?

Generally, root rot is caused by a number of different fungi and bacteria. The most common organism that causes root rot is a fungus in the group Oomycetes (usually Pythium, Phytophthora, or Rhizoctonia.) The fungus enters the plant through the roots and, once it’s in, it starts to destroy the roots. This leaves the plant with no way to get water or nutrients, which means it dies. Orchid Root rot causes the plant to wilt and lose its leaves. What these fungi do is they release enzymes that break down the cell walls in the roots of their host plants and then use this organic matter for their own energy and growth. This will eventually lead to the death of the affected roots and death of the entire plant.

The best way to avoid this is to make sure you’re planting your orchid correctly in potting mix that drains well and doesn’t have too much moisture.

An interesting, though technical, read can be found here. 

The bottom line is that Orchids are Epiphytes, or ‘air plants’ are plants that grow on top of other plants. The air, water, dust, and debris around them provide Orchids with the nutrition and other essentials they need to survive. But what do we do? We stick them in a pot on their own and stuff their roots with soil. 

Orchid Root Rot Symptoms

Essentially, the orchid plant has lost its ability to create blooms and the roots are beginning to die. Any exposed or air roots look withered and brittle instead of healthy and white or green and firm. Limp orchid leaves will develop. So what does orchid root rot look like?

• The plant will start to wilt and droop after a few days of being watered.
• It will also look like the roots are too wet or slimy. There may be brown spots on the leaves and stems, which could indicate fungal spores growing on them.
• The plant will shed its leaves because it’s just not getting enough water to produce new ones.
•  Root health is vital. If you inspect the root ball, they will appear Brown or worse, dead black rot. Instead of white or green and firm.
• The plant does not produce blooms.  
• Roots are mushy and can no longer absorb water. Basically rotten orchid roots are not nice.
• If your potting mix is too compact, this will suffocate the roots.

Simply put, Healthy orchid roots are light green or silvery. Orchids root rots are not pretty!

How to prevent orchid root rot 

The ideal way to deal with orchid root rot is prevention. Let’s examine 3 quick wins for prevention of orchid root rot. 

• Avoid constantly wet soil caused by excess watering. Watering of Orchids can be a complex topic. Put that ice cube down and Chick here for a more in-depth view of that. Over-watered orchid root rot is especially embarrassing if you are a professional gardener or attend flower shows. 
• Orchids prefer loose, well-aerated soil so inspect and repot if necessary. Therefore, orchid root rot occurs as a result of little to no airflow in the growing medium, or potting mix. The majority of orchid potting mixes should be a combination of several components.
• Consider the size of the pot. Don’t be afraid to upgrade. Sometimes shop bought plants will be poorly potted. 

For most plants many people use a fungicide drench which you mix with tepid water in a bucket to apply to your plants once or twice during periods of rain, droughts, or high temperatures. It will not stop root rot but it may slow down its progress by giving your plants an ally against fungus growth. There are also products available that are designed for both prevention and treatment purposes that can be found at any garden center. But orchid root rot can be a little different.

Hydrogen peroxide for orchid root rot is commonly recommended. But we will discuss treating orchid root rot with hydrogen peroxide and other of the more homemade remedies for Orchid root rot later in this article.

Clean the pot with soap and water, then rinse well. Next, sterilize the pruning shears by submerging them in a solution of bleach and water, then rinse again. Do consider sterilizing shears between Cuts.

Treatment begins with surgery! 

The rotted roots of your orchid must be trimmed. Any roots that are black are dead, and the brown ones are dying. Apply 3% hydrogen peroxide to the stump of the root after trimming it off. This eliminates bacteria and fungus that cause and spread root rot.

Root rot may also be induced by disintegrating medium or potting mix, which becomes acidic and, as a result, harms the plant’s roots. So check and repot. Root rot can also happen if the potting medium is packed too tightly around the orchid roots. This will inevitably suffocate the roots.

Going forward try not to allow water to sit in the crotch of the leaves.

Also, when the aerial roots are brilliant green, it shows that the plant has received too much water.

If you must repot, then ensure the materials used in the mix include sphagnum peat, perlite, fir bark, charcoal, and tree fern in various proportions, such as a 50-30-20 combination of peat moss, bark, and perlite. The most important thing to understand about your potting soil is that the particles are of varying sizes. Remember, orchids are air plants in truth. 

What is Orchid Crown Rot?

Orchid Crown Rot is a fungal disease that affects the leaves, stems, and roots of orchids. This disease can be difficult to identify and often goes unnoticed until it is too late. For this reason, it is important to examine your orchids regularly for any signs of change such as wilting leaves and roots, black patches on the roots or stems, or powdery white spores on the surface of the plant. It occurs when water has gone inside the crown, which leads to rotting over time. Crown rot often results from when water may pool at the base of the leaves.

Orchid Crown Rot Treatment

The one and only treatment is to spray the affected parts with 3% hydrogen peroxide, repeating every 2-3 days. Some people will also use cinnamon, though there is no storing evidence either way of its benefit.

Aerial Roots

We’ve mentioned aerial roots (air roots) a few times now. What are they?

The aerial roots are the ones that grow above ground, while the underground ones work like a drain pipe. These roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil and transfer them to the plant. To the unfamiliar eye, they look like a tarantula spider emerging from the pot!

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Aerial Roots in action

Orchids that have their aerial air roots trimmed, either by accident or intentionally, will experience poor growth or even death if they don’t get replaced with artificial root systems (absorbent material and water). Root growth is important to an orchid, so basically, don’t tamper with them. And if you are offended by them either report into a larger roomier vessel or maybe choose a different plant!

Let’s discuss Home Remedies.

There are three home remedies you will find mentioned in literature and blogs. The problem is, they are not fully proven. For every one who suggests them, you will encounter someone who disagrees. 

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is perhaps the most official remedy used in Orchid root care. So it’s not truly homemade, but many will use it in unconventional ways.

Does hydrogen peroxide kill root rot? It is noteworthy that in and of itself, hydrogen peroxide may not be effective in treating root rot, especially if it is not applied at the right concentration.

It is a common misconception that when hydrogen peroxide is given to orchid roots, it can suppress bacteria and stimulate oxygen uptake in the roots, therefore avoiding, delaying, or even completely reversing root rot. Certainly Hydrogen Peroxide has the ability to destroy and suppress germs, but it does so at a rate that is not beneficial to the roots of your orchid.

Recent study has revealed that hydrogen peroxide has the ability to hurt orchid root health more than it can benefit it, causing root degradation rather than stimulating root development (Goossen et al., 2021).

Tea soaks

By tea we are talking good old fashion English tea, not powdered ice tea. Of course English tea is in fact not English but that’s another article entirely. 

People think that Tea soaks can help to raise the nitrogen levels in orchid medium, and the tannic acid present in tea can help to improve the health of the roots.
When used to water orchids, tea may contain some nitrogen, but this does not imply that the nitrogen in the tea is available for root absorption.

When it comes to orchid fertiliser, it is significantly more beneficial to utilise a synthetic or organic orchid fertiliser that has been researched and tested for plant usage.

Ground Cinnamon

Here’s the controversial one.

Whatever strategy you choose to take to dealing with root rot, merely utilising cinnamon will not solve the problem at hand. Cinnamon includes coumarin, which acts as a desiccant, drawing moisture from an open wound or cut and closing it off with a protective coating. Sounds useful. In addition, because cinnamon can dehydrate plant tissue, it can prevent the development of disease in plants after a cut has been caused to them by drying out the open wound.

The fact that plant infections cannot enter wounds that have already dried out is the reason why plant tissue dies back and forms a dry barrier after a physical wound or cut has been created (see image below).

Cinnamon just expedites the process by drying any plant tissue in proximity to the incision where the cinnamon was applied. It is not curing the ‘root’ cause. (See what we did there?)

Credit to https://www.justaddiceorchids.com/orchid-care-blog/orchid-root-remedies-to-skip for the above information. Check him out for more useful tips.

What is the Sphag and Bag Method for orchids that have no roots?

Sometimes your orchid will have no roots left, or no non air-roots. All is not lost. 

Remember that Orchids are air plants. They can suck in moisture from the air. Therefore, it is possible to boost the humidity level surrounding the orchid’s leaves to nearly 100 percent since the orchid will breathe via its leaves. In the absence of a greenhouse, this is practically difficult, but with the Sphag and Bag Technique, it is rather simple. Because the humidity will be retained inside the bag, the leaves will be forced to absorb more water than they would otherwise. It is expected that the increased humidity will moisten the current leaves and provide enough nutrients for the orchid to grow new roots.

The Sphag & Bag Method

• De-pot the Orchid. Clean it as thoroughly as you are able.
• Remove all the dead material from the area using sterilised scissors, as explained above. Everything old, rotten, or rotting items should not be included in your bag since it will encourage mould growth.
• Optional, Soak your orchid for an hour in a solution of one teaspoon per gallon of root enhancer. Look for root boosters, stimulants, hormones, or a fertiliser that encourages the growth of the roots of your plants. Simply dilute it to a very low concentration. 
• After the orchid has been soaked in warm water, proceed to remove any debris that remains clinging to the orchid stem. It is critical that the whole amount of potting material be removed.
• Place some damp sphagnum moss at the end of a long, transparent bag (such as a Ziploc bag) and tie the bag together. Prepare your bag so that it has enough space to hold both the sphagnum moss and the orchid in separate compartments. If you want to utilise two pots, one pot within another pot, or maintain the orchid on a higher level with the moss hanging over a shelf.
• Do soak the sphagnum moss in water for at least thirty minutes before using it. Scathnum moss that has been removed from its bag does not hold humidity very well at all. In fact, it will wind up sucking up all the humidity that was intended for your orchid in the first place. After the sphagnum moss has had a chance to soak up the water, squeeze away the excess. It has to be sphagnum moss, without a doubt. If you don’t have access to one of these, you may use a moist paper towel, but it will get disgusting by the end of the month if you do. 
• Place your orchid on the other side of the bag from where you started. Do not allow the orchid to come into contact with the sphagnum moss or the water. You could put it in a plastic cup with more holes than sides, just to keep the water off of it and away from the rest of the container. This is where most individuals make mistakes while using the Sphag and Bag Method. When the orchid comes into contact with the water’s edge, it encourages additional root rot. Because there are no roots, the water will soak into the orchid’s top, leaves, and stem, and within a week, you will almost certainly have a rotting orchid on your hands.
• You do not need to seal the bag, but you do need to keep the air escape to a minimum. Place the bag over your orchid so that it has enough space to maintain optimal humidity while also having a tiny air opening to facilitate circulation within the bag.
• Locate your orchid in a place that fits the following three requirements: (1) low light, (2) high heat, and (3) high humidity, where it may be left undisturbed for several weeks. 

orchideria.com is a useful website for more information or your friendly Facebook, Quora or reddit group. 

Conclusion

In this article we have explored what is orchid root rot and how to treat orchid rot root.

Orchids are easy to grow and care for. You can grow them in pots or as a houseplant, and they prefer indirect sunlight. They also require the perfect balance of light, water, and nutrients from you as their caretaker to thrive. There are over 25,000 different types of orchids on Earth!

They make splendid gifts because they last a long time. And if you find one you love but don’t have the space for it at home- don’t worry! You can try your hand at growing one in your desk or cubicle at work!

But if you are not careful, they can also be challenging plants to care for. There are many things to be aware of with orchid root rot. Prevention is the best action, so make sure your orchids have a properly draining potting mix with an appropriate amount of perlite. It is important to be proactive when there is suspicion of an orchid being infected with root rot, as the disease can have a great impact on the health of the plant.

If you suspect your orchid has been infected, it is imperative to be proactive and start treating as soon as possible.