I thought loads of aerial roots was a good thing?

[mimigirl]

In the current issue of AOS mag they are talking about spring repotting. It says 'search your collection for plants that have grown past their pot rims (with obstreperous aerial roots)...... I dont understand. Many pics of orchids show aerial roots all over the place. So when do you repot because of them?

[WhiteRabbit]

They may be referring to plants having overgrown their pots, and the roots from those growths having nothing to grow into ?

Or, perhaps, it's simply for neatness of appearance ...

[silken]

It depends what type of orchid they referred to. I find Phals more prone to putting out aerial roots. But for Catts or some other types, it usually happens when they are jumping out of their pots.

[Stray59]

Yeah -- I think that is a pretty broad statement for the AOS to make, as there are a lot of orchids that throw aerials, whether they are in need of repotting or not.
Admittedly, this is a good time of the year to be looking for those that do need repotting - but that for me is sort of a year-round process.
In my opinion, they are probably referring to roots that should be in media becoming aerial because the plant is hanging outside of the pot.
Hope everyone has a great spring season, or fall for those in the southern hemisphere!

[jai_star]

I only repot when there is no more room to grow for the new growth this is only referring to sympodial orchids such as Catts and Onc etc anything that spreads sideways yes cymbidium too. There shud be enough room in the pot for two years growth so don't over pot. Then you are left with two seperate divisions of the exact genetic material.

I've read the same article as well.
Aerial roots are actually all of them as in the wild they hang onto branches it's only humans that has learnt to grow them in a pot so don't get so hung up on roots rather focus more on root culture.

[Raqsharqi]

I planted my oncidiums in pots large enough for the bulbs to grow in, but I have one that is sending out roots that shoot up almost as high as the leaves! I can't see any reason for a larger pot, and don't know why I'd want to cut or bury those roots. I figure if I get nice, green tipped roots and healthy pseudobulbs, the orchid is happy.

[mimigirl]

Thanks to all of you. I was hoping that was the case. I love my aerial roots!

[ALToronto]

Aerial roots need to remain aerial. If you pot them up, they will most likely rot.

I've put overgrown cattleyas and phals in pots with no medium, and they've done well. It's just a matter of convenience.

[tropterrarium]

If you love aerial roots, grow mounted. After all, ~80% or orchids naturally grow as epiphytes. That applies to Phals, Cats, Laelias, Oncidiums, and many more. You have to water them more, but I agree, aerial roots are cool, and you always see what the roots are doing. Additionally, much less fussing with them otherwise: repotting? Nope. Remounting? Extremely rare. No need to camouflage the pot for shows.

There are some popular lithophytes such as cypripedioids, Ludisia, Cymbidium, but those don't have the roots overgrowing the pot problem. So if it makes aerial roots, it most likely grows naturally as an epiphyte, so can be grown mounted.

[lotis146]

In addition to what everyone else has said - which I mostly agree with - if it's not a matter of the plant jumping out of/over-growing its pot then the fate of such roots will depend largely on your humidity. If you have lower humidity you may want to mist them regularly, say daily, just the aerials. I just got my first Vanda and they have long hanging roots. I choose to put the plant on top of a vase so the roots are inside that way I can fill vase with water, soak for 30 min +, then drain and it should maintain higher humidity down there. (Oh be careful when dealing with roots, they need to soak a while before any bending or they'll break, yup I got a few...).

Good luck.