Yes it does! Looks great!

Oh, yeah!

Cattleya (Laelia) purpurata time is getting close. Lots of sheaths. Some of these are serious root machines.

This one was in a terracotta pot. When it got to the point where my clip-on pot hangers kept interfering with new growths, I dropped into a plastic basket - which let me hang it with wire hangers. The roots started growing over the side of the pot, into the space between the pot and the basket. I suspect that there is not all that much inside the pot any more, everything is on the outside, enjoying the moisture that is captured by the clay. There's no way, any more, that this could be repotted without destroying roots, it is doing very well, I'll just keep growing it this way.

Here are some more L. purpuratas that prefer to just grow their roots into the air, straight down. These seem to thrive in the wood baskets, and grow wild roots.

Wow, nice!!

Insane

From 50’ I’d call them vandas!!

Just wait until they bloom! I'm guessing about a month. People who grow them in greenhouses are already seeing the flowers, mine are always later, still chilly.

Those roots are just insanity!! The plants are clearly extremely happy with their living arrangements. Now we just need to see the blooms! :)

I'm actually afraid to give Kelpmax to this Phal :biggrin:


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cda3efd0_k.jpg

Wow, it will explode out of the pot!

If you do, you better get it a bigger pot before you apply it!

So I'm notorious for torturing Phals. They're my go-to orchid for a new setup, a mount on something, a terrarium experiment, etc, etc. This poor guy has been one used for experimenting for years...bark, mounted, SH, mounted, sphag, under a mister, mounted, etc. Sometime a ways back, I had it in a 75 gallon terrarium experiment (was really trying to grow maidenhair fern) and it was on a mount. Just window dressing hanging on a branch. Well, my experiment failed. Wasn't paying enough attention, and got a ton of mold in the tank. Gave up on the stupid maidenhair fern (for the bajillionth time) then sort of forgot about the terrarium... whoops. :blushing:

When finally I remembered it was in there it had no leaves. Nada. A completely dried up crown. Figured it had finally met its demise. I pried it off the mount and threw it onto a tall vase with water at bottom, after soaking in KelpMax. It started to push out some roots, so I transferred it back to SH. When it finally pushed out leaves, I got twins! I told it, no more experiments for you, just have a happy life now. Here it is about a year or so later, after I relegated it to a shelf.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...oublePhal1.jpg

So I picked it up to look at it, and check out this root system...

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...oublePhal3.jpg

And here's the other side, that was hidden from view...

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...oublePhal2.jpg

All those roots are from last fall to the present. Now I'm wondering... I promised it I'd leave it be. But doesn't it appear to be crying out for a mount again? :biggrin:

Wow, that is one tough orchid! I think let it stay in "retirement" - it is happy with those roots all over the place. If you want to sleep without fear that the roots will reach out and grab you :D, you could put the whole thing into an empty pot of suitable size (maybe 1 gallon) to provide an air space for the roots to get some humidity and stay out of the way but be otherwise free to go where they will.

No mount again hahahah. Just let let it be. I agree with Camille

Seeing things like this makes me 😊!

Feed me Seymour!!

Shucks! Missed my opportunity to take a poll... Should this be mounted or stay in the retirement home? :biggrin:

Leave it ALONE!! It has suffered enough

Mean, ww, just mean!


Lol.

It's really hard to get a good photo of this rootilicious plant! The roots extend almost 3 ft down.

You know that’s how I roll! :whip:

Does this qualify?
 

Been lurking on this board for some time now, first time posting though.

Does this qualify for this thread?
Attachment 152766

Welcome! It sure does qualify! Beautiful roots!

Welcome Bobcat, former lurker. :waving

And yes, yes it does. :biggrin:

The plant that started this thread is already well outside it's pot again and needs a new home quickly. The only way I remember this is every time someone adds a post to this thread!!

:rofl::rofl:

I can make room! Just sayin'.:rofl:

Ansellia africana

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...de811836_h.jpgRoot porn!! Ansellia africana by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr

And to bring this thread full circle, here are a few photos of the plant that started the thread being repotted today. The plant has been in need of more space and the massive root ball pushed it out of the pot again. Check it out:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0cace77a_h.jpgRepotting Polystachya neobenthamia by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...67ad7d26_h.jpgRepotting Polystachya neobenthamia by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr

Lordy, Lordy those roots.

That’s just ridiculous!

:LOL: hahaha

https://c.tenor.com/GrZgDGRKqvcAAAAM...r-laughing.gif

I think it looks like we pulled the pants (pot) off the plant and it's got a farmer's tan!! :rofl::rofl:

Tell us about the nautical-themed pot?

---------- Post added at 10:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 AM ----------

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

---------- Post added at 10:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 AM ----------

Do you actually eat gingerbread, or did you buy it for the jar?

You didn't realize that nautical themed pots cause explosive root growth?! I thought everyone knew that!

jk

I honestly don't know how it got painted. I think I grabbed some used pots from someone and it was painted!

I needed to repot my one and only Cymbidium and found this in the pot. No wonder water was having a tough time penetrating!!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5cd0500d_b.jpgCymbidium roots! by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr

Come on estación seca! You know me better... that's a Gingerbread scent candle jar, of course. :biggrin:

---------- Post added at 08:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 AM ----------

Steve, you need to re-examine your repotting schedule. Catasetum aren't the only ones that require an occasional repot. :biggrin:

Is there any medium in there? Anywhere?

the brown dust is medium...looks juuuust right lol

---------- Post added at 11:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 AM ----------

here's my contribution...bamboo orchid...had to move it to a bigger pot because it kept falling over in the 14" terracotta pot.

I moved her to a 24" MASSIVE pot...her last move lol

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8175147a_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr

I think you're right!!

I honestly don't know! Looked like a wall of roots, so I just plunked it into a larger pot with media.

:rofl::rofl:



Wow, definitely a big plant! Is this Arundina graminifolia?

I know this thread is about huge sprawling roots and I have plenty of those (although nothing like some of the pictures on here) but I will be showing a completely different root for personal reasons because although this will just look like any old root to everyone else, some of you will know how much just a simple root on a dying orchid can mean.
This orchid hasn't been dying but as I have discovered a cymbidium has no problem completely filling a pot with roots in just one growing season, this one has not produced a single new root in ..... 2 years and today I finally discovered not just a root but a root the size of the stem, you can see the state of the old 2+ year roots and that this one desperately needed to get going but it's been a long journey with this one and this is just the start lol.

Oh yeah you need to look real closely, inbetween the leaves! I know, nothing to look at but sentimental root :biggrin:

SF, I totally relate. I have an Aerides houlletiana behaving like that... just sat there for more than a year, suddenly put out a big, fat root (almost as thick as the stem) and is just starting to put out new growth at the crown. Cherish all roots! From the root machines and the survivors! Where there are roots, can flowers be far behind?

yes steve, Arundina graminifolia.


Shade- WHOOOHOO!!!! i consider this thread more about appreciating the wonders of roots than simply the magnitude ...your contribution is right on point