Tips on Yellow Orchid Roots

Inspecting the Roots

• Hold the pot in one hand and the stem of the orchid in the other, with the stem between the two middle fingers and the palm flat across the compost. Turn the pot upside down and tap the pot; retract the root ball, causing as little disturbance as is possible. Look closely at the roots around the outside of the root ball; there is no reason to disturb the ball unless black or brown roots are visible. Black and brown roots are signs of plant illness and must be cut out. Roots that are green, yellow or white are perfectly healthy. Yellow leaves, on the other hand, are a less than great sign: The plant is in dire need of more moisture. Mist the leaves but keep the mist away from the flowers; this can attract fruit flies.

Timing

• Roots are best checked immediately after the orchid flower has wilted and the spike has been cut off. For those enthusiasts who leave the spike to see if a second spike and bloom will grow in the same season, the root check should be made after the spike dies -- turns brown -- or the flowering cycle is through.

  Orchids typically need to be repotted every two years. If the time has come round to repot, this is an ideal opportunity to inspect the roots without causing the plant additional trauma.

Root Rot

• Root rot is a fungal infection. The first symptoms are a general decline in the above-ground health and vigor of the plant; subsequent inspection of the roots will show they have turned brown or black. The fungus finds easy victims in potting compost that has decayed, especially if the plant has been watered excessively. The discolored roots must be cut away with a sterilized tool, the plant repotted and then treated with a fungicide. Prevention is better than cure: Orchids thrive in a clean environment, which typically means not reusing pots, always sterilizing cutting tools and quarantining new plants for at least two weeks when they are brought into the environment.

Tips for Healthy Orchids

• The most important factor in orchid cultivation is environment; these plants will not thrive in locations remote from their natural habitat, regardless of how much love and care they receive. Most orchids are extremely susceptible to variations in climate, ambient temperature and humidity, strength and hours of sunlight -- even the amount of air movement to which they are exposed. Specialist orchid websites and cultivators, as well as some more general garden centers specializing in orchids, are able to offer good advice on which orchids are likely to do best in your locale. Orchids tend to thrive in areas where the daily temperature fluctuations are similar to their native zones: Some are adapted for cool, chilly climates, some to moderate climates and some to tropical and subtropical climates.