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My prized orchid got root rot after I used a regular pot instead of a ventilated one
I kept my phalaenopsis on my kitchen windowsill in Portland for 2 years, it was doing great. Then I repotted it into a ceramic pot I found at a thrift store. Looked nice but no drainage holes. After 3 months the leaves turned yellow and the roots were all mushy. I cut away the dead roots, soaked the good ones in hydrogen peroxide, and put it back in a clear plastic pot with bark. It's been 6 weeks now and I see new root tips. Has anyone else killed a plant by getting too fancy with the pot choice?
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riverhill7d ago
Oh totally, @elizabeth438 nailed it with that bit about light hitting the roots. I didn't know they could photosynthesize through roots too, that explains a lot. I made the same mistake with a dendrobium I bought at a farmers market, put it in this cute glazed terra cotta bowl and within a month the leaves were all droopy and sad. When I finally took it out, the roots were basically brown mush except for the ones near the top that were still getting some air. So I chopped like half of them off, repotted into a mesh slotted pot with chunky bark, and now it's pushing out new growth from the base.
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The real trick is that clear pots aren't just for checking roots, they let light hit the roots which actually helps orchids photosynthesize better through their root system too. Your ceramic pot was blocking that light along with the drainage.
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