Newbie questions on Roots
 

Hi, a newbie to orchids here. Recently, I got two Phals from a friend and both came in cheap plastic pots. Both are flowering with some new buds and they look quite healthy.

One of the two Phals has thick and silver air roots but the other one has none. I re-potted both of them and there were some rotten roots inside the pots as expected.

My questions are can orchids survive without any air roots? Why they still bloom and flower since they have rot roots?

Thanks

As long as the plant has a sufficient root system to support the plant, it should be fine.

Aerial roots are the plant's attempt to provide better mechanical stability - sort of like "guy wires" on an antenna tower. To me, they serve as an indication that the plant needs a larger pot.

Although, probably Ray must be correct as usual (:)) I have another interpretation that won't discart this one.
Based on my observations, that bigger the aerial roots, the lower the humidity. It could also mean that the medium is so degradated that the roots tend to grow away from it.

I have heard that some orchid roots have chloroplasts? I think photosynthesis needs light so maybe the roots need light for that reason?

If the roots are silver green, and are inside the pot then they are mostly likely better to keep in a new pot when you are repotting. If they are outside the pot and silver green, then when you repot make sure those roots stay out.

Roots living inside the medium are adapted to live there. If they stay out when repoting, they will die.
The same goes for the roots outside (aerial roots), if you put them under the medium, they will die.

Thanks for the reply.

Maybe my question was not clear enough. What I want to know is that why some Phals have thick silvered air roots while some have none but they can still bloom and flower.

I'm not sure why some phals have air roots and some don't, but they certainly don't need them to bloom and grow. And in my case while I think there very cool looking they are usually history. My humidity is low and even if I water the air roots and soak them when I water they don't last.

The occurrence of aerial roots, or lack of them, has absolutely no bearing on the health of the plant or its blooming.

All roots emerging from a phalaenopsis are "aerial", in that they have not yet found a medium to grow down into.

A phalaenopsis in the wild has its roots wrapped around tree branches, and in the nooks and crannies of the bark and pockets of detritus. They are ALL aerial roots.