Aerial roots of orchid message. Orchid roots - what a novice florist needs to know. Typical mistakes of beginning gardeners

Aerial roots in orchids are the norm, and not, as many people think, a disease. Orchids with developed aerial roots are often found in the wild.

In nature, these plants often grow on trees. Therefore, such roots perform the following functions here:

fixation on the substrate;
nutrition by substances that are in the air.

Aerial roots in this variety indoor flowers appear when certain conditions and care are created. At home condition a large number of This kind of roots indicate insufficient care.

Aerial roots are thick, flat or cylindrical shoots. On top they are covered with a shell resembling a sponge. Thanks to it, the roots are able to absorb moisture from the air. IN sunny days this spongy shell dries out to prevent moisture loss. This shell is called velamen. When wet, it is characterized by green color. Green roots are characterized by the presence of chlorophyll or symbiotes in their structure. With the help of chlorophyll, roots are able to directly participate in photosynthesis.

When dried, velamen is white or silver-gray in color. Young roots have a bright light color. In older shoots the color becomes faded.

Under the spongy membrane there are vascular bundles. They act as a water reservoir. With the help of such vascular bundles, water is delivered to the leaves of the flower.

Normally, the flower should form new roots within a couple of months. If this does not happen, then care should be changed. The situation will also be bad if the orchid has a lot aerial roots. It is especially important in both cases to pay attention to watering and irrigating the plant.

The reason for the appearance of aerial roots

Many roots in phalaenopsis can appear for a variety of reasons. To solve the problem of excessive growth of the plant’s root system, you need to know why the orchid began to form aerial roots.

You can get such abundant root growth in the following cases:

High indoor temperature. Especially often, too active growth of aerial roots in orchids is observed in winter period when pots standing on the windowsill are heated by radiators. The radiator not only heats the container, it also dries the air.
Excessive watering. If the orchid has a lot of moisture in the pot, then the plant, in order not to die, will begin to actively form additional roots. Otherwise, putrefactive processes will appear in the substrate.
Lack of moisture. This situation is the second extreme improper care for phalaenopsis. Lack of moisture appears in dry rooms and with infrequent watering.
Lack of lighting. Since the roots perform a photosynthetic function, when there is a lack of light, the shoots will begin to grow to capture more light. Otherwise, the roots remaining in the pot will begin to rot, which will make it impossible for the plant to feed through the substrate.
Dense substrate. The land in which the orchid grows has special requirements. For example, do not compact the substrate too much. This will lead to cramping and also worse drying. And this is a direct path to rotting of the roots if they remain in such a pot.

What to do

What to do with the aerial roots of an orchid? This is the question that novice flower growers ask when they discover their growth by looking into the pot. In this case, you need to do two things:

find out the reason for the abundant growth of roots;
to correct the situation - to normalize care. For example, you can remove the flower from a heated windowsill or place it in a well-lit place.

After the changes have been made, all that remains is to wait until the flower returns to normal. If only a couple of aerial roots remain in the pot, then the cause has been correctly identified.

Many people ask whether it is possible to remove excess roots that have grown too much outside the pot. This is a very bad decision, as it will lead to injury to the flower. In addition, the cut root can contribute to the introduction of pathogenic microflora. Also, such pruning will lead to the fact that the shoot will not be able to fulfill its duties of providing the plant with nutrients.

The easiest way to get rid of extra roots is by changing water regime. If after this the situation has not changed, you can try to transplant the orchid into new pot.

To resolve the issue, all that remains is to choose the right container and a new one. The soil remaining after transplantation should be thrown away, as it will already be poor in nutrients. This can lead to rotten and damaged roots. The remaining roots must be carefully transferred to a new pot.

When transplanting, the roots are carefully removed, washed, disinfected and placed in a new, well-watered substrate, already prepared in a pot. bigger size. Watering the transplanted flower can be done only after the substrate has had time to dry completely.

Choosing the right filler

Another reason for the appearance of air roots in phalaenopsis is an improperly selected substrate. Such flowers can only be grown on a special earthen ground consisting of moss and bark. Other types of soils are not suitable here, as they are too dense and the root system of orchids in them will not be able to grow, develop and fulfill their direct duties. It is best to purchase the substrate at a flower shop.

Now you know why orchid aerial roots form and what to do with them.

Video “How to transplant an orchid”

From this video you can learn how to transplant an orchid at home.

On my last long visit, I grew orchids with aerial roots. In stores that create their own microclimate for the favorable cultivation of tropical flowers, orchids with aerial roots are simply indescribable in beauty. The flowers are huge and beautiful colors.

It is very difficult to create such growing conditions. Need constantly 100 percent humidity and drip irrigation several times a day. They just brought me these orchids with aerial roots and gave them to me. The fact is that people who come here, of course, do not buy these beautiful flowers forever and give them to their friends before their departure. This is how orchids wander to different hosts. During my last visit, the conditions were clearly not suitable for growing orchids. The apartment is on the third floor, though with a large balcony, it did not let me grow orchids until lush flowering. Branches with flowers appeared, but the flowers were not large and did not bloom for a long time. Orchids several times a day had to be kept in the shower for a long time. You could even put them in the bathroom. Alas, I had no such opportunity, and no desire to devote my days only to the transfer of these orchids to the bathroom and back. Now I have small area on land where I can keep orchids in more favorable conditions. The site is in the shade almost all day. Two to three times a day for two to three hours I turn on drip irrigation. Droplets of water fall on the orchids. I also often water these plants from above with a hose. The orchids are doing great. The orchids have been blooming for almost a month now. This is despite the fact that the weather is dry. According to the forecast on the Thai meteorological website on the island in the morning relative humidity 90%. However, plants suffer greatly without rain. Without additional drip irrigation, it is unlikely that many plants would grow well. That is, I have created more or less good care for tropical cultivated plants. I'll try to buy a couple more orchids with aerial roots. I have seen such beautiful plants.

Such orchids need to be hung in shady place. Also, the place should be windless so that the moisture remains longer. Plants are held up by hanging small openwork plastic baskets that contain the bases of the roots. The size of the baskets doesn't matter. This is only for the convenience of hanging the plant. The roots grow in length and can be very long.

The roots are in the air 24 hours a day, and therefore drying them out is detrimental not only to flowering, but also to the plant itself. Therefore, you need to constantly moisturize them.

These beautiful orchids are so capricious, especially with exposed roots.

An orchid is one of the few domestic plants that has two types of roots at once - underground and aboveground, which are in plain sight. Through them, the flower receives nutrition and moisture from the atmosphere during periods of drying out of the soil. And by their appearance, you can determine the health status of the entire plant. Orchids of the genus Phalaenopsis have the largest number of superficial roots.

Interesting!

The upper shell of aerial roots is similar in structure to a sponge, capable of absorbing (and even accumulating in some quantities) rainwater, carbon dioxide and oxygen from the air.

Superficial root shoots, which have a greenish tint when moistened, sometimes begin to wrinkle and dry out. At the first alarming symptoms, you need to find out why this is happening and eliminate the causes.

Causes of drying roots in orchids

Water shortage

The outer roots are the first to suffer from insufficient watering. Do not rush to cut them off - the shoots that appear dry may well turn out to be alive. But if they do not straighten out soon after heavy watering, it means they are dead.

Chemical burn from hard water and fertilizers

Even tough tap water can cause a burn. Water the orchids with settled, boiled or melt water. An increased salt content can be determined by its appearance: a brownish coating on the roots (deposits appear on them when water evaporates) and white on the top of the soil in the pot.

An overdose as a result of improperly diluted fertilizer also leads to defeat. Observe the proportions strictly. Feed strictly according to the schedule acceptable for this type and age of the plant.

In both cases of chemical burn, it is better to transplant the orchid into fresh soil, washing root system in soft warm water.

Low humidity

More often, the humidity in apartments decreases in winter, when the heating is on, from normal 30-60 to 20%. This is a critical number. Especially if the plant is located near heated radiators and begins to dry out.

The problem is solved by removing the flower pot away from heating and timely spraying. Moss, which is used to cover the drying shoots, helps a lot; it is only important not to moisten it too much and not to let it dry completely. Wet air It will help to make expanded clay (or a similar porous material) moistened with water, located next to the pot.

Injuries

You may not even notice how the root was injured during transportation or transplantation. The broken shoot, deprived of nutrition, will gradually begin to dry out.

Infectious diseases

The main danger is fungus. If it appears on aerial roots, then there is a possibility that the orchid:

systematically waterlogged;
contained at too low temperatures;
has mechanical, even the smallest, damage to the root system;
Contained in soil that is too dense and retains water.

Root restoration methods

Dead roots are completely removed down to living tissue with a sharp instrument, carefully observing that no lesions remain on the sections, then sprinkle with cinnamon powder or wood ash(you can grind an activated carbon tablet). You cannot wet the wounds; they must dry out. It is better to refrain from watering for several days.

When a flower doesn’t look the same as in the picture, the owner gets worried and is at a loss. The question that worries gardeners most is: the aerial roots of an orchid - what to do with them if they appear and grow.

They look like predatory tentacles. But in order to get rid of them, it is necessary to find out the reason for their appearance. You need to know that orchid aerial roots are not a disease. They are part of the flower. They owe their appearance to their habitat and care. In nature, roots wrap around tree trunks and branches and receive nutrients from them.

Reasons for the appearance of roots

You shouldn’t count your roots every day and be horrified by the appearance of something new. Their quantity does not make the flower feel bad. But attention should be paid to the care and maintenance of the orchid. There are the following reasons for the appearance of roots:

The problem may lie in the fact that a window sill is allocated for the orchid, which is located next to a heating radiator, which is extremely unpleasant for the flower. The solution would be to move the pot deeper into the apartment and place it next to it.
If the orchid has a lot of aerial roots, this indicates excessive watering. It is enough to reduce the amount of water, and exotic plant will stop “releasing” tentacles. If 2-3 roots remain, then this is normal.

Orchid transplantation - where to put the roots?

One of the features of an orchid is its replanting. The process proceeds differently than in other plants. The first thing they think about when replanting an orchid is where to put the aerial roots? After a new pot has been selected, the mixture has been prepared, and the root system has been washed, a little substrate is added to the bottom of the container. Then the aerial roots are straightened from above as much as possible. The space between them and the walls is filled with soil mixture.

When replanting, doubts arise: is it necessary to bury the aerial roots of the orchid? Doing this is not worth it. Over time they will find a suitable position. Many people wonder whether it is necessary to cut off the aerial roots of an orchid. The reason is the somewhat unaesthetic appearance of the flower. But no matter how many aerial roots there are, they cannot be touched. In particular, it cannot be cut off, because through the roots the flower receives nutrients from the air.

In nature, a flower feels great with aerial roots. They help us survive and get food. In an apartment, the roots do not look so presentable. But this is already a unique feature of the orchid. If there are too many of them, it is worth transplanting the plant into a larger one.

It happens that at some point a flower that was feeling great begins to mope, even with years of care and adequate conditions. The first indicator leaves serve.

If you notice their withering or change in color, then first of all you need to pay attention to the root part of the flower. In most cases in orchids this is due with drying roots.

Healthy Phalaenopsis should always be healthy:

Strong,
Dense,
Without any stains or signs of rot.

If this is not the case, you should pay attention for quality, especially on water quality.

Common reasons why the roots dry out are:

Let's find out in more detail what to do if the roots of an orchid dry out and how to avoid it.

Watering with hard water

Hard water contains a considerable amount of salts, especially calcium salts. The accumulation of such a quantity of salts leads to the roots pupating.

The protective shell - velamen, receiving a salt burn, is subject to ruptures and loses its ability to accumulate moisture.

The roots change color and become covered with plaque Brown and begin to dry out.

Top layer of substrate and aerial roots covered with a white coating formed during the evaporation of moisture.

This indicates the hardness of the water and, accordingly, a high content of calcium salts in it.

The only good news is that most hybrid forms are quite hardy and can grow a new root system, continuing to delight with growth and flowering.

Chemical burns from fertilizer salts

Almost the same burning effect occurs when applying large dosage, especially organic ones.

Even a small overdose can lead to to the death of a flower.

Recommendation! It's better to underfeed than to overfeed! Experienced orchidists advise reducing the dosage by 2 times than that indicated in the annotation for mineral complexes. And when feeding with organic matter - 4 times.

Drying of aerial roots

Appearance of aerial roots in phalaenopsis - flower health indicator.

Their drying out is fraught with rotting of the root system in the substrate, which over time can lead to the death of the entire plant or its long resuscitation.

The first manifestations are noticed on condition of the leaves. They may fade, turn yellow or change color.

This condition of the aerial roots also affects flowering.

The plant may not only not produce flowering intensity and insufficient flower size, but simply drop flowers.

This happens especially often among beginners who have no experience in properly caring for orchids.

Orchid roots can be revived by high-quality watering of the flower.

And the aerial roots, which the orchid needs to obtain moisture from the air, generally frighten them.

If the external condition of the orchid is not very deplorable, then it is possible to revive it high quality. That is, provide the root system with the necessary water composition without over-wetting it.

If the condition is of concern, then it is necessary to take more complex resuscitation, which includes the following preliminary activities:

Tool preparation. It is desirable that it be sharp and well disinfected: scissors, a knife or pruning shears;
Extraction(with a dried root system this will not be difficult) flower from a pot.

Trimming

The fact that the roots have died can hardly be determined even by inexperienced florist. Their viability is checked immersion in water.

If in 20-30 minutes. their condition and appearance remain unchanged, then you can trim without regret.

Disinfection of sections

After trimming, they are allowed to dry a little, and then they must be disinfectcutting places.

For this procedure, finely crushed Activated carbon or cinnamon.

Can treat the cut areas with brilliant green, but experts do not advise doing this.

Zelenka dries out intraradicular vessels.

Planting in a new substrate

Whatever the condition of the root system after pruning, it needs to be given time dry well.

If you had to completely remove the roots, then first the orchid is planted in sphagnum moss, which is periodically sprayed until more or less strong roots appear, and only then lands in a new, substrate prepared according to all the rules.

Important! Phalaenopsis has a high degree of vitality. Even cutting off the entire root part with proper resuscitation does not lead to its death.

Creating a tropical climate in an apartment - life hacks for gardeners

Turn an apartment into tropical paradise Of course it won't work, but create the right atmosphere quite capable.

Direct blinds for windows sun rays will create the desired tropical lighting.
IN winter time in low light use of phyto-lamp.
A lattice tray, under which you can place a container of water or wet expanded clay, will give the effect constant tropical humidity.

Tropical conditions will help the orchid feel good.

Some gardeners create tropics with artificial mini-greenhouses or mini-greenhouses, using large glass containers, even large aquariums.

You can even next to flower pot install small capacity with pebbles or expanded clay, which should be moistened periodically.

When evaporating next to an orchid greenhouse effect is created.

You shouldn’t get too fancy when creating special conditions in the environment.

Modern hybrid forms of phalaenopsis tolerate normal room conditions.

Spraying secrets

Phalaenopsis calmly adapts even to low air humidity in room.

IN as a last resort, humidity can be compensated by the frequency of watering or spraying.

Spraying must be careful and obey certain rules:

Using Kornevin

Kornevin– hormonal biostimulator of root system growth.

Can be used as dusting of roots before planting, soaking the root part or watering after planting a flower.

Orchidists have an ambiguous attitude towards this drug, so the reviews are opposite in terms of its effectiveness.

Maybe this happens due to many fakes unscrupulous manufacturers.

There are a considerable number of modern stimulators of growth and expansion of the root system, which are also used in growing orchids.

These include zircon, epin, heteroauxin, ribav, etc.

Double pot device to create humidity

- matryoshka or installation in a flowerpot, has received its main use among many orchid growers.

Its peculiarity is that in the lower container there is always water or some composition (expanded clay, pebbles, pebbles) sprinkled with water, which has the property of retaining moisture for a long time.

With sufficient humidity in the room creating an additional one is not recommended.

Useful video

Find out from the video how to revive dry roots of an orchid:

Interesting facts about orchid aerial roots in the video:

Watch the video to see how to provide enough humidity for your orchid:

Find out from the video about pots with double bottoms:

Conclusion

Although phalaenopsis is a fairly life-loving plant, having the ability to recover even in a critical situation, you should still avoid or minimize the possibility of roots drying out as a result of burns from poor-quality water or fertilizers.

You just need comply with requirements and recommendations to create conditions proper care when growing such a beautiful exotic flower.

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