I have to put them in or else they will die in my dry environment. I love the looks of them but I can't keep them moist enough. The only one that seem to handle it is my mannii, but I do have to water them allot.

True dat.

I totally believe this, but it is at this point a person needs to realize they are asking the orchid into an environment that would kill it otherwise, and then try to make that environment more orchid friendly. That is what a green house is all about.

bil why do i get the impression that you are here in new orleans? True dat. Optimist I dont have a greenhouse.
After reading everone's opinion i decided to trim the roots and ask them to please live in a pot so that they would not dry out and fall off. They ageed that if i didn't overwater they would live long and prosper. I love this site! Thanks everyone!

Noo Orleans? No, I'm in Spain. Still firmly in Europe.

Thank you rbarata! :bowing :bowing :bowing

As Phals are epiphytes growing in boles (scars from fallen branches) or on branches of trees, these "aerial" roots are only looking for a place to hang on or to burrow into what detritus they can find in a bole or the crook of a tree. If anyone has grown Phals in a greenhouse and seen aerial roots from one plant take up life in the pot next to it, you can relate.

Yes, you have to be careful to not break these roots when potting them as t hey are very turgid, hence the "screwing in" trick. In cultivation, when aerial roots become rampant outside a pot, it generally means the mix has broken down and the existing roots are not able to send enough nutrients to the plant. Plants talk to you - you just have to learn what they are trying to tell you! :rofl: