As we all know, Phalaenopsis orchids have won the hearts of many plant lovers with their beautiful flowers. However, when it comes to care, not everyone succeeds. The most common problems are caused by overwatering, which leads to root rot, or using fertilizer that is too concentrated, which suffocates the roots.
No matter what your orchid’s condition is now, if you find rotted roots, you should deal with them immediately and not delay, otherwise the infection can spread to the healthy roots. The most common situation during repotting is accidentally breaking some healthy roots while removing the old medium. In this case, if the broken root is still healthy in color, firm to the touch, not mushy, and not showing signs of decay, then there’s no need to worry. Even if it breaks into three or four sections, as long as each piece is still alive and firm, they can continue to grow. This shows just how resilient plants can be.
Here’s a real example: not long ago, while repotting my Phalaenopsis, I accidentally broke its main root. Since the broken parts were white and firm, without any rot, I planted both pieces into moist medium, thinking I’d just “give it a try.” To my surprise, in less than three weeks, new fine roots sprouted from the broken ends of both pieces.
This shows that orchid roots are actually quite vigorous. As long as the broken section itself is not rotten, it can still be “activated” to sprout new roots — much like when we cut our hair, and it grows back even more vigorously.
That said, if the plant itself is weak, or if the broken roots are old, thin, or already damaged, replanting them in a new pot may cause them to wither because they can’t adapt well. Therefore, it’s best to have two people work together during repotting, handle the plant gently, keep as many healthy white roots as possible, and trim off any blackened or hollow rotting roots to make space for new growth.
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