Hi,

As you can see, my orchid grows quite nice now.

The orchid flower never grow again since I bought it two years ago until this moment! Nice, isnt it? I guess this is because two months ago I removed some dead roots and replaced the pot with a bigger one (if you don't agree, please let me know).

My question is: Do you think those in the amplified part of the picture are roots of the orchid? What I should do?

Thanks for your help.

Markjump writes:

Hi,

As you can see, my orchid grows quite nice now.

The orchid flower never grow again since I bought it two years ago until
this moment! Nice, isnt it? I guess this is because two months ago I
removed some dead roots and replaced the pot with a bigger one (if you
don't agree, please let me know).

I think they just take a long time to bloom.
I got 2 at the supermarket.
After they stopped blooming, I had to wait about a year.
2 years wouldn't surprise me at all.

My question is: Do you think those in the amplified part of the picture
are roots of the orchid? What I should do?

Thanks for your help.


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Yes, those are the roots.
They look normal to me.
The roots do get much larger.
I recently posted a picture in news://alt.binaries.pictures.gardens.

--
Dan Espen

On 4/7/2014 6:57 AM, Markjump wrote:
Hi,

As you can see, my orchid grows quite nice now.

The orchid flower never grow again since I bought it two years ago until
this moment! Nice, isnt it? I guess this is because two months ago I
removed some dead roots and replaced the pot with a bigger one (if you
don't agree, please let me know).

My question is: Do you think those in the amplified part of the picture
are roots of the orchid? What I should do?

Thanks for your help.


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That is a Phalaenopsis orchid, sometimes called a "moth orchid". Yes
those are roots.

When well established, they might bloom every year. But repotting might
delay them a year or even two. The best potting mix is small bark chips
(usually pine bark). (Note: Some other orchids (e.g., Cymbidium) bloom
best when they are pot-bound.)

Water it only once a week. Hold the pot in one hand over a sink, with
your hand blocking the drain hole. Carefully pour water into the pot
until the water level is at the top of the pot; then let the water drain
out. Every other week, mix orchid fertilizer into the water according
to directions on the fertilizer container. (I use 1/4 teaspoon to a
quart of water.) Be very careful not to allow even a drop of water into
the center of the plant (where new leaves grow); water there can cause
the plant to rot and die.

Setup a large saucer with small pebbles. Place the pot on top of the
pebbles. Pour water into the saucer until just a few pebbles stick out
above the water. This provides necessary humidity.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Markjump wrote:

As you can see, my orchid grows quite nice now.

The orchid flower never grow again since I bought it two years ago until
this moment! Nice, isnt it? I guess this is because two months ago I
removed some dead roots and replaced the pot with a bigger one (if you
don't agree, please let me know).

My question is: Do you think those in the amplified part of the picture
are roots of the orchid? What I should do?

Orchids are not potted like that, they are air rooted (those roots are
attempting to reach air so they can breathe, they do not take in
nutrients through their roots, only water, and only briefly... in the
rain forest they typically grow on fiborous tree bark and recieve
water periodically when it rains, otherwise orchid roots need to be
dry. You can wire your orchid to a piece of orchid growing medium, a
slab of pourous material typically sold at plant nurseries.. there are
also special orchid pots that are purposely made with many openings.
Orchids do best with high humidity.... some people mist them several
times a day.
http://houseplants.about.com/od/grow...chidshouse.htm
http://www.gardeners.com/Growing-Orc...efault,pg.html


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Thanks a lot!

How about to bind some pieces of bark around my pot to let the outside root touch on them?

One bright night in the middle of the day on Tue, 8 Apr
2014 00:51:16 +0200, in rec.gardens Markjump
wrote:

How about to bind some pieces of bark around my pot to let the outside
root touch on them?

IMO, your plant looks just fine the way it is.

It looks like you've got it potted in orchid mix (bark
chips) and it's in a clay pot which lets the roots
"breathe" since unglazed clay is very porous. I imagine
the plant should do fine. No. You shouldn't have to put
anything around the outside of the pot. Orchids,
especially Phals like yours, like to wave their roots
around in the wind. At repotting time, you can very gently
tuck these back into the pot, but the plant will likely
just grow more air roots. This is a very natural thing and
nothing to worry or be at all concerned about. It's the
way orchids grow. As someone else mentioned, just be
careful about letting water get into the crown and stand
there, as that can cause rot to set in which may kill the
plant. If you do get water in the crown, simply lay the
pot on its side for a while so the water can run back out
and the crown (growing point) can air dry. If you have a
fan, gently running it helps as these plants like air
circulation. Just don't BLAST them with air. :/

Most orchids you can find in grocery stores or nurseries
are not nearly as delicate as people make them out to be.
Good luck and good growing!
* * * * *
Karen C.
Southern CT / USDA Zone 6
Spammers be damned! I can't be emailed from this account...

"Gardeners know all the best dirt!"

OK, thank you.

"Water it only once a week"???
I water it every day!!