Roots

[Yoggie]

My new orchid roots are white and dry but hollow.Something wrong with it?

[Ray]

How do you know they're hollow?

[Yoggie]

I can see holes in the roots and feel hollow

[Ray]

Can you post a photo? In 45+ years of growing, I have never seen hollow roots.

All I can think of is that you and I are emerging to different things!

[estación seca]

Ray, that's probably because you're such a good grower. Dead or damaged, and dried, roots of some orchids, have the outer velamen layer separated from the inner root core. The velamen hangs around the core like a sleeve around a thin, bony arm. Damage or bending may cause a hole to appear in the velamen, and the root core can be seen through the hole.

Yoggie, it can be hard to tell whether roots like this are dead or not. If you give the plant good care it will grow new, healthy roots.

[Ray]

Hah! Do you think that in 45 years of growing I haven't done/seen that?!?! That's a laugh.

That part of the root, if I'm not mistaken, is the "stele", and can look hollow, but I don't refer to that as a "root" - and that's exactly what I thought Yoggie and I might be missing each other on.

[Orchid Whisperer]

The stele is the central core of the root. It contains vascular tissue, and also an outer layer of cells that is responsible for making branch roots.

You will sometimes see orchid roots where the outer spongy layer (velamen) has been stripped away for an inch or so of root length, and clearly the root has been living in that state for a while. There is live tissue on either side of the gap, showing that the stele is still performing it's vital vascular function.

Yoggie, answering your original question, the hollow root probably has a thread of tough material inside it, which is the stele. It probably appears hollow because the velamen has died. The stele could be alive, but often dies with the velamen. The hollow roots therefore don't benefit the plant. If you have other roots that area alive and healthy, you can clip the hollow dead roots off of the plant.

[Yoggie]

Here's some photos.You can see one of the photos that I'm actually holding the roots and what happens to it.

[Ray]

What is see is more-or-less normal roots that have wandered out of the comfy confines of the pot, into the "hostile" world outside, and gotten damaged.

In other words, nothing to worry about.

[Yoggie]

Ok thanks!