Do your roots die when you bring a new orchid home?

[Cstanm700]

Do some orchid roots tend to die when brought home?

[Silje]

I've had a lot of orchids that have been travelling bare-root for a long time before reaching me, and regarding those...yes. By the time they reach me, the roots are often too dry to be coaxed back to life again. Luckily though, most dens and catts have enough energy stored in the bulbs and canes to produce new growths and roots even with the substantial root loss, but it does take time of course and I'm guessing I'm losing out on at least a year or so before they flower for me.

With NOID phals bought in local nursery and brought home immediately on the other hand. No, got no problems with those roots at all. I just make sure they dry out well before I water them and wait until all the roots turn silver green.

[quiltergal]

If anything the roots start looking better after I bring them home. That is probably true because I have more time to spend per orchid watering, fertilizing, and repotting than a grower who has 4500.

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by Cstanm700

Do some orchid roots tend to die when brought home?

yes, its happened to me - primarily the roots that are out the pot. Its because humidity levels are much lower in the home ( where I grow ) than in the greenhouses. They gradually shrivel up. But what I have noticed is that if you mist these roots diligently they can and do perk up and start growing again.

[Ray]

Orchidsarefun has hit upon the key: As roots grow, they tailor themselves on a cellular level to the environment they are in. For the most part, that's the environment within the potting medium, but how mush air flow occurs in the medium, how quickly the water evaporates, etc., are controlled to a significant degree by the overall conditions in which they are growing.

Change the environment from the nursery to your home, and it changes everything.

[RosieC]

I find in general the aerial roots do, but not the ones in the pot. I've always put it down to what Orchidsarefun and Ray have said, they are tailored to more humid environments than I grow in.

I get new aerial roots grow which tailor to my environment and grow well as aerial roots, but generally I loose the aerial ones I buy them with.

[WhiteRabbit]

Agree about the aerial roots. They always die on me (I don't get concerned, I focus on roots in the pot). I thought it was just too dry here in summer for aerial roots to survive, but have since discovered that for some of my orchids that aerial roots started after I've had the plants for a while do fine.

[stefpix]

It depends on the plant. SOme do well, but some few lose their roots and I need to wait for the new growths to get established.

[birdybrain]

Let me preface this by saying that the only orchids I have experience with are from local retail outlets, not actual growers.

I've had the best luck with roots not dying when I get the BetterGro self-watering pots at Lowes, even though I always buy them on clearance after the blooms fade. Since they do so well, I'm guessing that BetterGro raises the phals and dens in similar self watering pots so they are already accustomed to an always moist root environment. The roots never miss a beat and all of them have re-bloomed for me. I've included a couple pics in case anyone wants to know what the pots look like, there are 2 different kinds with the larger round ones being combo planters.

The last 2 pics are of the same phal which rebloomed with 14 buds. The phal in the other square pot rebloomed with 10 buds and the smaller phal in the round combo planter rebloomed with just 5 buds, but has also grown 2 new leaves.

A friend bought the dens in separate combo planter self-watering pots, but didn't want them so she stuck them in one pot to give to me. I do keep the pot of dens on the drier side since they are planted in sphag (I guess I don't really use the self-watering feature for them), but the roots look good, I haven't lost a single leaf and 2 of the older canes rebloomed for me.