Starbuck: Water Culture Day 75

Starbuck is transitioning to water culture like a champ! The blooms that have dropped have done so due to age rather than shock, dehydration or root failure. She is currently on a cycle of four days in water and two days dry. At the end of this month, I will consider her to be fully transitioned and she will move to the same schedule as my other orchids, five days wet and two days dry.

While Starbuck has lost some roots (see the string root in photo), most are still healthy. Healthy roots are green and firm. Unhealthy roots will be soft and mushy and the velamen will slide off of the string root. When transitioning to water culture, do not remove string roots. These strings can still absorb some water and nutrients. Although string roots only absorb about 10% of what a healthy root can, that can be enough to keep your orchid hydrated.

The really good news is that Starbuck is growing new roots. It is the presence of these new roots that tells me her transition is almost complete. If I want to, I could move her to the same schedule as my other orchids. Once the new roots are long enough to touch the water, I’ll remove the string roots as they should no longer be needed.

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