Freakishly fat roots ok?

[PlumCrazy]

Hello,

My phalaenopsis now has really, really fat roots. Is this ok?

The back story: this is one of two $5 specials my husband picked up for me from Home Depot (so sweet) last year at Black Friday. Back in May they dropped their blooms so I went to repot. This one had literally zero roots. I nearly threw it out, but I'm unable to do that even if I'm not attached to it... (My husband says no more orchids, but he can't NOT buy me one if they're $5) Anyway, I put it in spag and it started growing roots pretty well.

About a month ago, I bought some KelpMax mainly for some other plants that were struggling. I followed the instructions exactly and sprayed some on this guy too. Now it's roots are freakishly huge.

Some things I think might have contributed are the fact that it was already really working on growing roots. I'm also wondering if I shouldn't have used it on a plant in spag because it probably sat on the roots for longer than normal.

It may be hard to see in the pics, but the air root is normal size, and the others are a least 2, closer to 3, times wider then what I've ever seen. They also grew longer much faster than they had been.

On the second plant, which is in bark mix, the roots are pushing out through the velamen a little wider than before, but not so big.

So, I'm wondering if this is super awesome, or putting a strain on the plant to devote so much energy to root growth?

[WaterWitchin]

Ha! It means it's a happy camper, and ready for you to pot it in some medium of your preference. It's a good thing.

[PlumCrazy]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Ha! It means it's a happy camper, and ready for you to pot it in some medium of your preference. It's a good thing.

Maybe I'll name it Hulk! Is there a reason I shouldn't just keep it in the spag? It's in a pot, not a bag. Not sure if spag is good as a long term medium, but the last plant I had doing well in it I nearly killed by putting it in semi-hydro, so now I'm worried about switching anyone's medium. Granted, I also put that one in my orchidarium which was way too humid for it. If I repot this one, it would be to bark, and kept on it's windowsill.

[Roberta]

Those roots look lovely! They are really saturated, hence the intense green. They do need to dry out a bit before being watered again. But I see nice green root tips, so they're growing.

[fishmom]

If those roots are used to the spag, why don't you give it a try? I don't use spag much, but I have had really good success with a couple of phals that came to me that way, with instructions to water from the bottom. They sit in a saucer, when the top gets crispy, I fill the saucer, in an hour or two the water is gone, and the top is moist the next day. It seems to prevent sogginess and overly wet conditions.

[SouthPark]

The roots are ok and definitely no cause for alarm for sure.

The times for alarm is if an orchid becomes freakishly dehydrated, or non-deciduous orchid freakishly changes leaf colours of all leaves from green to yellow to dark (followed by dropping all leaves), or if all roots change colours from white or green to dark, or if leaves or flowers get the alien hieroglyphic type patterns.

But obviously - we don't want to ever see those sorts of conditions - so good care of orchids can help cut down or avoid chances of that.

Just keep looking after the orchid nicely, and watch the orchid a lot to ensure it stays growing nicely as it is.

But also keep in mind that sometimes ------ 'unbalanced diet' or over-doing things can in the long-run lead to issues.

So keep in mind things like accumulation of salts in media and on roots.

Watching the orchid like a hawk for any signs of issue can be beneficial. Gives more time to respond to issues.

[Dollythehun]

All my phals are in moss, with a little bark, maybe 4 to 1. They do great. Go for it.

[WaterWitchin]

No reason at all not to just let it be. Didn't realize it was potted. Perhaps Fishmom's idea would work well for you? And as Roberta says, just make sure not to overwater, now that you've got some good growth going on. Let those roots get a little silvery before watering again. Not the tips, just the main part of root.

[PlumCrazy]

Thank you for all of the advice! It seems so happy now, I will leave it. I usually spray it to water it. That way I can get it pretty saturated without getting the spag all clumped and compressed. My phals usually start spiking between now and December, so that will be the real test.

[Ray]

For what it’s worth, placing a pot of sphagnum in a tray and watering from the bottom keeps it from compressing.

It still should be replaced fairly frequently.