Cymbidium growing shallow roots

[Canadienne]

Hi, I’m new to this forum, I have had orchids for years, but just lately my collection has been greatly expanded to include a variety of easy to grow orchids, like phals, oncids, tolumnia, paphs etc, and 1 great old NOID cymbidium.
My question is this: the cymbidium is 15 years old, is a mini, has grown 5 new bulbs so far, but the roots are very shallow in the pot. I had to transplant it and it’s in bark and pumice, great drainage, lots of holes in the pot. Plant looks great, but why wont it send roots down?

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

That Cym is clearly happy, the roots are getting what they want where they are. In fact, some Cyms, when they get root-bound, send roots upward (birds-nest roots) So if the roots look good, don't worry about it., keep on doing what you're doing. Cyms do like to stay damp - with that open mix, you'll need to water fairly frequently, since you don't want it to dry out. I grow my Cyms in small bark with some perlite, in plastic pots, they get watered about every 2 days in summer and 3 days in winter. They're WET. And grow very well.

[Canadienne]

Thanks! I live in southern Ontario where we have warm to hot humid summers, the cym grows outside from spring till late fall, is in a plastic pot and us watered regularly, it has always grown deep roots.
This was new, so thanks for calming my nerves, I was worried that I may loose it after all this time.

[Roberta]

I think the repotting was a very good idea... it may reach deeper if the lower part of the pot has more fresh air. They can survive in "mud" (badly broken down bark) but are much happier with a more open mix.

[estación seca]

Welcome!