?? Please watch the video??

[Mira-Claude]

Just a thought...
The fear of root rot, isn't that why you change the medium progressively throughout the repotting? Starting small and water retentive in 1'' to3 or 4'' like sphag moss or small bark, moving on to small or medium bark depending on the plant for bigger pot, then so on until you keep the plant in nearly no medium as the root mass is a reservoir for water.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Originally Posted by Mira-Claude

Just a thought...
The fear of root rot, isn't that why you change the medium progressively throughout the repotting? Starting small and water retentive in 1'' to3 or 4'' like sphag moss or small bark, moving on to small or medium bark depending on the plant for bigger pot, then so on until you keep the plant in nearly no medium as the root mass is a reservoir for water.

Another voice of reason! Good point Mira!!

[james mickelso]

Well, myopia is alive and well in the world. Here is a very good reason to cut off excess roots. You have a plant that used to have a lot of leaves. Now the plant for whatever reason lost most of it's leaves. With too many roots, there is not enough plant to keep all those roots healthy. If you want to keep this up, by all means do so. I don't care one way or the other. I grow orchids. I don't argue points with people with narrow vision. You want to be stuck where you are that's fine by me. If you read the posts I answered most of your points. It appears you just want to argue. I will just contiunue to read the rest of the posts contained in this great resource and improve my orchid culture. Oh and by the way, how many orchids have you grown through the years? Hmmm.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Oh and by the way, how many orchids have you grown through the years? Hmmm.

Wow, what a mature response. It is still entertaining that only three people are on your side, while the rest of us agree with mine, Bob's, Mira's, and Medelia's viewpoint to name a few. You don't need to have grown orchids for thousands of years to be able to know some common sense, such as lots of roots = healthy plants. And its quite funny to know that according to you, every professional orchid grower has been growing their plants wrong their whole lives. Fancy that!

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Well, myopia is alive and well in the world. Here is a very good reason to cut off excess roots. You have a plant that used to have a lot of leaves. Now the plant for whatever reason lost most of it's leaves. With too many roots, there is not enough plant to keep all those roots healthy. If you want to keep this up, by all means do so. I don't care one way or the other. I grow orchids. I don't argue points with people with narrow vision. You want to be stuck where you are that's fine by me. If you read the posts I answered most of your points. It appears you just want to argue. I will just contiunue to read the rest of the posts contained in this great resource and improve my orchid culture. Oh and by the way, how many orchids have you grown through the years? Hmmm.

so since they would die anyways, we cut them off?! this doesnt make sense to me, if it doesnt have enough leaf to keep all the roots healthy, wouldnt the extra roots be able to at least help the plant grow more leaves before they die? it is my belief that is a plant has a healthy root and maintains that root, then it has a use for that root. or else it wouldnt it just stop supporting the root?


you my friend are seriously mistaken if you want to evaluate knowledge on amount of plants!!!! I'm not going to you, this has seriously offended me!! you seem like a smart enough guy, but HOW IN THE FREAKING HECK can you ask me how many orchids ive grown through the years? you must (at least id hope so) be smart enough to know that the more plants you own makes you smarted then another person! i wont argue the fact that the more experience you have the better, but anyone can go out and buy a bunch of halfdead plants and cut the roots off and say they have 200.

being a teenager, and not having a job and making several thousand dollars a month, obviously i wont have as many plants as an adult!!! is it too much to say that "im willing to bet that ive done far more research and studying orchids that you have! just because i cant afford to buy as many as possible, doesnt mean i havent done extensive research (im working on a paper about phalaenopsis and breeding with them) and have credible knowledge! in fact, i think its an advantage that i can research and study things even though i cant afford them. because i can accumulate knowledge and learn and grow what plants i have the best possible way!

[Mira-Claude]

I also feel quite put out by the question. It's not the how many you have that's important, nor how long.
I might not have many years behind me having just gotten out of school, either as an orchid grower or as a human being. And I might be very impulsive but I try to keep from underestimating others around me.
You might think we don't want to learn but we did. We did learn that the process might save a plant with unhealthy root system and that it can be done. We learned that there are things we do not yet understand and some we probably never will.
But the thing I am wondering about is did you learn something? Did you read our questions and tried to answer them using our own answers? Did you understand them?
You probably are a nice person with good and bad habits just like we are. But I think patience with us is not one of them.

[Yukonphal]

OK....I kinda have a question to throw into this
As orchid growers we strive to have our plants grow a large healthy root system ,correct?
On the other hand though....can an over abundance of roots....even lovely fat healthy roots...be a sign of too much (nitrogen) in the fertilizers we are using, if there are waay more roots than normally produced by a healthy , thriving orchid? Or maybe even too little of the (P,K) ?

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Originally Posted by Yukonphal

OK....I kinda have a question to throw into this
As orchid growers we strive to have our plants grow a large healthy root system ,correct?
On the other hand though....can an over abundance of roots....even lovely fat healthy roots...be a sign of too much (nitrogen) in the fertilizers we are using, if there are waay more roots than normally produced by a healthy , thriving orchid? Or maybe even too little of the (P,K) ?

That could very well be a possibility, but heck, who cares if our orchids throw a huge flush of fat, healthy roots from a little too much fertilizer? Unless you burn the roots, or you were trying to induce flowers for a show or special occasion, etc. there is no harm done that can't be righted. The only thing I can think off that could lead to problems from too high of nitrogen dose is an insectal infection on the abnormally lush leaves that result in too much nitrogen. And like I stated, this can easily be righted.

[Mira-Claude]

Maybe it would be a reason, now that you say it.
I guess it's why many books warn us against it and insist in flushing.
Note to self keep flushing most of the time!
but then again if it is getting poisoned by too much minerals than it's probably because you are to heavy handed on the fertilizer no?
Wouldn't simply lowering the amount and spacing them with flushing d a better job than cutting off?

[Yukonphal]

I'm not agreeing with any point of view in this discussion....and I wasnt necessarily saying that the plant is being poisoned with chemical fertilizers...but I have seen it where a plant fed on chemical fertilizers has grown extensive leaves, or roots, because of the fertilizer , and the opposite part of the plant has suffered...not necessarily in orchids , but still plants.
Hothouse Hydroponic tomatoes are manipulated on purpose this way...they have huge plants producing large amounts of fruit...but their root system is the size of your fist...its done so they dont put all their "energy" into roots instead of fruit