Root training help

[RoseSD]

My Catt has grown beautifully fast since the repot but all be roots are pointing UP.
Am I not watering enough? The moisture in the air feels better?
For the long term health I think they could do better growing into the media, what do you think? Should I train them to go down? How?

[Shadeflower]

I think Roberta is going to love answering this one for you

Congrats on the roots though

[RoseSD]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

I think Roberta is going to love answering this one for you

Congrats on the roots though

I think I know her answers already 🤣🤣🤣
But seriously, none of the new roots wants to go under???? What's up with that?

[Shadeflower]

roots love air. Seriously there is nothing to worry about or do. I see you already have your glass pebble ready, once it gets a bit longer if you place that in front of one it will grow under it. I prefer my roots to stay in the pot but they will want to escape.

You can't micromanage them all. There is no harm playing with the direction the root grows if you want but also no harm letting them ramble.

[Roberta]

Shadeflower, you are spot on. Rose, it is time (past time) to stop fussing. Most of the orchids you are likely to grow are epiphytes. Air roots are part of what they do. If you insist on all roots growing into the media, you need to grow terrestrials not epiphytes. If the roots are healthy, and as long as the plants are healthy, you are at the stage of orchid growing where you should be observing your plants, and learning from them, not trying to bend everything to your will. (Which is likely to make both you and the plants unhappy, they don't like to be forced to do things against their nature, and you are likely to either fail to get the plants to do what you demand, or kill them)

[estación seca]

If you love your plants, set them free. If their roots don't grow the way you want, your dreams were never meant to be.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by RoseSD

My Catt has grown beautifully fast since the repot but all be roots are pointing UP.

Beautifully fast and healthy - and staying that way indefinitely - is all that is needed.

For good orchid questions such as this one - about roots - just ask something like 'is this normal' ? (Instead of assuming that the orchid actually grows in a particular way like regular house-plants). Good question to ask though - about the roots growing in these particular directions.

Also - online pics, such as this one here can provide some confidence - that if the humidity and environment is nice and supportive, then the orchid's roots can grow both in the potting medium (if there is a potting medium) and also out of the medium.

Sometimes - if you really want to intervene ------- then just wait until the root gets relatively long ----- long and flexible, before taking the tip of the root and gently poking it into the surface of the media ---- shallow only. And the root may adapt and then just grow downward. It can do it nicely if we don't force it. Or sometimes it can still grow nicely even if we do force it.

Also ------- try to keep the rhizome part near - or just above the surface of the media --- so that the base of bulbs don't stay wet for relatively long times. I think that for some conditions - it's ok, but some other conditions - could be problematic - such as raising chances of rotting or something.

[Roberta]

One thing that I do note in the photo... that mix looks pretty small and wet for a Catt. So roots have the incentive to grow into the air - Catts need lots of air. I would use much larger bark. You could repot at this time, with that new root growth. (Personally, I have ended up growing most of my Catts in baskets, with fairly large bark. Then they grow outside the basket anyway... They really don't like being "potted")