One of my epis is wilting. It was doing great then started drooping. I took it out of it's pot to check the roots. The bottom half of the pot was mud. I cut a 3/4 hole in the bottom evidently that wasn't big enough or something blocked the hole.
Getting it out of the pot tore alot of root off. Right now it is setting in a cool dark closet that I normally use for cuttings. My question is do I need to cut it back also?
water logged Epi
I would take a cutting from it and pot up both. Maybe one or both will survive.
I would also check for alive and dead roots. You might have both. The dead should just look like shells of their former selves, and the live will be nice and firm. Trim out the dead ones and the parts of alive roots that are dead, this will remove some of the fungal and bacterial load from the plant. Let the exposed roots dry over night to further help reduce the nasties.
Then repot deciding how damaged the plant is by the proportion of roots to leaves. if the root mass is much below what it should be consider cutting back the plant. If the root mass is a decent size, then do not concern your self about taking cuttings. Then give the plant several days to its first watering, and treat tenderly until it gets back in form. Do not recycle the soil from the pot, it may carry nasties into the new pot, use fresh soil.
Thanks! I guess I should repot it now then. Its been 3 days. I washed the soil off roots after I took it out of the pot. Then sprinkled a rooting hormone on it that has some anti-fungal stuff in it.
I hope you can save your Epi. If the problem ever arises again with any plants, you might try taking an old thick terry cloth bath towel, fold it in half or even quarters and sit the plant on top ... the towel should sop up a lot of the excess water, drawing it away from the roots. I know a couple of folks on the African Violet forum who do this when some of their plants get way too wet. One lady doesn't even un-pot the plant but says the towel draws out the excess water. I think if you lift the entire plant from it's pot and sit it on a towel it will help it dry out quickly.
Thanks I haven't heard that before.
I can imagine that trick really works. I would think the fibers of the towel get in the holes of the pot, and touch the soil, making a pathway that is easier travel, as the water will have to overcome surface tension to get out of the pot without the towel.
I will have to try it sometimes.