What is the typical lifetime of a Phal root? - Orchid Board

cythaenopsis · #1 10-17-2011, 07:17 PM

I've seen many examples of Phals with roots in various stages of life. Some are new with a white shroud, some bright green, beige, brown, black, and shriveled. Does a root typically last for one bloom cycle? I'd heard it is a good idea to repot a phal about once every other bloom cycle, so that you can cut off the dead roots and freshen the potting mix. Will some roots die off at any time during the seasonal cycles, as new ones emerge? How important is it to prune off the old ones? I guess in the wild, there's not as much coverage over the roots so they'll fall off naturally, and that in a packed pot the usual method of shedding old roots is hampered... and that's why we need to clip them?

Paul Mc · #2 10-17-2011, 08:23 PM

Well, I can't really tell you how long their roots last, but I can give you some guidance on other things you mentioned.

What you are seeing in the root (coloration wise and shriveled) is based on age and/or growing conditions. Roots that are white have something called veluman (spelling?) on it which basically helps protect it. When you water it you will see them turn green. The bright green is more of a fresh root that still has yet to fully develop this protective skin. Please don't quote me on that information because it may be off a bit - learning this stuff as well.

However, the recommendation for repotting and cutting the roots is more to the fact of the potting medium breaking down and checking the roots to ensure it is still healthy. It never hurts to clean up your roots because otherwise the dead one's or dying one's will just add to the decomposition of your potting material. Since the roots need to "breathe" they cannot be in decomposing material as it will sink and suffocate them. Likewise, the decomposing material may increase the chances of infections, unwanted insects and nutrients you do not want it exposed to in such high quantities. Not to mention that decompossing medium retains much more water which would drown the roots.

While I can't say when the roots die off seasonally, I can tell you it does happen. Generally, phal's are pretty good at sending out new roots at all times of the year.

It is very important to clean up the roots (prune the dead or dying ones off) as was previously explained it could lead to infections and other issues if left in the pot to rot.

Not being a biologist, I can't really tell you what they do in nature - but your last comment about them falling off naturally would seem to make sense based on my limited knowledge.

Hopefully someone far more enlightened than I can chime in on this too. I'd love to learn more as well.

cythaenopsis · #3 10-18-2011, 12:52 AM

Thanks, Paul! So, it sounds like it's a good idea to do at least an annual cleaning of the dead/dying roots.

I have one phal that is just root crazy. Lots of good sturdy roots embracing the wads of moss, plus a few new ones going airborne. I guess the ones going horizontal are seeking out something to hold onto.

camille1585 · #4 10-18-2011, 05:01 AM

I think that in good conditions the roots will last quite a long time. I try to repot Phals every 2 years (mine are in bark) and I hardly ever have dead roots to cut off. From what I've seen they can live at least 4-5 years, and it's probably more.

The color of the root depends on the medium (which can stain them) and their position within the pot (ex: ones in the dark center will be cream colored)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Mc

Roots that are white have something called veluman (spelling?) on it which basically helps protect it. When you water it you will see them turn green. The bright green is more of a fresh root that still has yet to fully develop this protective skin. Please don't quote me on that information because it may be off a bit - learning this stuff as well.

Yes the the velamen serves as protection of the vascular system in the cortex and also to anchor the plant to a support, but its main purpose is to act as a sponge to bring water and nutrients to the root at the center of it. Many epiphytes have roots like this, it helps them absorb more moisture since they're up in the trees.

I think the green tip is due to a lack of velamen. In any case velamen is opaque when dry, but as soon as it's wet it becomes transparent, and we cans see the green which is beneath it. That's why it's frequently recommended to go by root color when watering.

cythaenopsis · #5 10-18-2011, 05:19 PM

Do exposed roots need to be misted frequently? Or is it that as long as part of the root has access to moisture, the rest of the root will remain generally healthy?

I have what looks to be a very healthy phal, my second one so far. It didn't have very many flowers to start, but after it was done with the bloom cycle, it went about aggressively growing leaves and roots.

Here are some shots of how it looks today:

As you can see, some of the roots have gone brown/black in color. I've trimmed off a few that died and dried up. I also pulled up some of the moss and underneath there appears to be a healthy network of roots (many in a beige color, I guess because they're not exposed to light).

tucker85 · #6 10-18-2011, 05:40 PM

It sounds like Camille and Paul gave you some good information. I don't know what the lifespan of a root is but, like Camille said, I know it's several years. Since the leaves are constantly growing up away from the old roots I would assume that it becomes more efficient for the plant to get most it's moisture from the newer roots that are closer to the new leaves. But phals grow slowly so I'm sure they can use the old roots for many years. The phal you have looks like it's in the right size pot (small pots are better for phals) but are you letting the sphagnum dry out almost completely before rewatering. If it's constantly soaking wet the roots will rot.

cythaenopsis · #7 10-18-2011, 05:59 PM

Thanks for the advice, Tucker. This phal is in its original pot, that I bought back in the spring season. It had two moderately sized leaves and two very small ones, plus some decent root growth. I was over watering it a bit in the beginning, but cut back a bit. I try to water it once per week and then I also mist just the exposed roots about every other day to give it a little "extra". Now that we're heading into the dormant season, I'll cut back on misting and let it dry out more between watering. Does that sound about right?

Paul Mc · #8 10-19-2011, 02:48 PM

Actually, phal's tend to grow their roots and new leaves around this time of year. In reality, phal's tend to never stop producing new roots. They are one of the few types of orchids that continually send out new roots and grow the old ones.

I think I would caution about the misting though. Phal's are extremely susceptable to crown rot, which is when water accumulates where the leaf connects to the plant, and the leaves are sensitive to standing water on them. Misting only raises the humidity level for about a minute or so and otherwise does no good. If you are trying to raise humidity around your plant, I would opt for a humidity tray of some sort. It can be as simple as a plastic tray used on the bottom of potted plants to catch water from the drainage holes, and fill it with something to stand your orchid above the water line, to actually purchasing a window humidity tray (depending upon how many orchids you have). In general though, one single small humidity tray will not add much to the humidity. The larger trays may increase humidity some but you still need a good air current over it like a ceiling fan or oscilating fan to get air flowing over the surface of the water to help raise humidity. A lot of people use room humidifiers to add humidity, but I can't tell you what kind as I have no experience with it and don't use them.

I personally water my phal's about twice a week, but they are in a large bark and perlite medium which retains some water but nothing like sphag. I can't give you any recommendations in relation to sphag as I've killed all phal's I've tried to grow in it.

Hope someone with more experience on this can chime in.

camille1585 · #9 10-19-2011, 02:56 PM

I think he's misting only the exposed roots, so in that case it's not really about raising humidity. I've had some nice results with misting exposed roots/surface of the medium, it seems to encourage root growth, and they also seem to grow faster that way.

Merlyn · #10 10-19-2011, 03:23 PM

I don't mist but when the sphagnum goes crunchy on top is when I water and I make sure to water all exposed roots at the same time. I keep all 25 of my Phals in sphag. The pots 4.5" and larger I mix in with bark and/or leca to no more than 50%. I DO have a humidifier AND ceiling fan on 24/7. The humidifier is a Venta Airwasher/Humidifier and is the LAST in a line of bad experiences with every kind of humidifier except those greenhouse waterfall types !!! It's expensive, around $300 but someone just got one online for a lot less.