Vanda/Ascon. roots, roots, roots

[Don Perusse]

Okay all U vandaceous experts, here one for you. Is there ever a time when you cut the roots back? I have several Ascon., Mokara, Vanda where the roots are 3 feet long and the plant is only 15-18" tall. I have them in wooden baskets with roots dangling below. I have a very small greenhouse and can't hang high enough with out touching plants below. During the summer they hang outside and are okay. Any suggestions or advice?

[cb977]

Hi Don, it's okay to trim the bottom of the plant as long as there are healthy roots and tips staying on the plant.
I've read in a number of places that the very big growers in some countries (don't remember which ones) just use a machete to whack the bottoms off the plants when they're too long.

[tuvoc]

Good grief, machetes in the greenhouse? It's a jungle in here too?

Kim

[cneos]

Susanne is correct ... I first saw the machete technique at Kodama Nurseries in Hawaii and gasped when I saw what Benjamin, Sr., was doing.

As long as the roots are healthy to begin with, cutting them back actually promotes branching and bifurcation (doubling up) of the roots and is good for the plant.

[b_vanfossen]

I let the roots grow out and never trim them. They do overlap into some other rows of plants but it doesn't bother me and sounds worse than as described... IMO

Brian

[turbotoes]

I can tell you from first hand experience that as long as the plant is healthy, it should be fine. I've root pruned for the same reasons -mad roots getting to long- I tend to do it an a couple of goes, half one time and then the rest when the original one are starting to "nub up" the last fellow I pruned I realised afterwards was just throwing up a couple of spikes, that caused a panic , but it did not upset the spikes at all.

turbotoes

[Angurek]

It seems kinda extreme to cut them off with a machete...

I've never thought about trimming the roots on my Vandaceous plants, in part because I hear they don't like root disturbance.

[turbotoes]

I have certainly found that vandas in a pot -for me that means youngsters-, do seem to resent getting repotted and sulk for a bit - one reason I stick mine in baskets as soon as poss- but all my basketed vandas, ascocendas and mokaras get moved every day in the summer and every other day in the winter, so that I can dunk them in my watering bins, this by its very nature causes "root disturbance" and yet it does not seem to worry them in the slightest. Go figure

[CTB]

The roots are sooo much the beauty of the vanda, trimming should be a crime!

[trdyl]

3ft long roots on an 18" tall plant does not sound to long.