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orchid roots
I was re-reading previous posts on Renanthera and the discussion
wandered into watering aerial roots. Several people mentioned roots turning green. I have noticed that some of my plant's roots turn green instantly and others take a much longer time. Some do not turn green at all. Neostylis, Christieara and Phalaenopsis are in the former group. As soon as water hits them the roots begin to darken. Dendrobium biggibum, Sophronitis cernua and Laeliocattleya Little Stars only get some green patches ( at best), even after fifteen or twenty minutes in a bucket of water. They all look fine, making new growth and flowering regularly. I'm wondering if because of the low relative humidity in my conditions, the velamen on certain plants becomes less permeable, protecting against water loss? With the consequence of making it harder to absorb water? Neostylis, Lc and the Phals are potted in bark, while Den. and Soph. are on bark mounts with a wee bit of sphagnum moss. The Christieare is in a basket with several large chunks of bark. I'm wondering if those of you with greenhouses also observe this phenomenom? What about Those of you who grow outside all year? ( I'm not angry because you can - I'm angry because I can't! --- LOL) Thanks for letting me share! Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa - growing plants on a windowsill. |
Quote:
But if the velamen is impermeable, why then do roots go green when I water them? Weng |
orchid roots
An interesting question, Bob.
I see something similar, and I grow in a greenhouse, so the humidity is usually quite good. I have always chalked it up to individuals, rather than type of plant, but maybe I just didn't catch the connection. The velamen is supposed to capture water, and I had never heard of the "prevent moisture loss" concept applied to it. Might it have something to do with age, or maybe what the conditions were like when the roots grew? The concept there is that maybe - if the plant was watered well during the time of the growth of those specific roots - the velamen was not a crucial part of the uptake mechanism, so didn't develop to absorb as readily as that that grew under drier conditions. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! "bobc" wrote in message ups.com... I was re-reading previous posts on Renanthera and the discussion wandered into watering aerial roots. Several people mentioned roots turning green. I have noticed that some of my plant's roots turn green instantly and others take a much longer time. Some do not turn green at all. Neostylis, Christieara and Phalaenopsis are in the former group. As soon as water hits them the roots begin to darken. Dendrobium biggibum, Sophronitis cernua and Laeliocattleya Little Stars only get some green patches ( at best), even after fifteen or twenty minutes in a bucket of water. They all look fine, making new growth and flowering regularly. I'm wondering if because of the low relative humidity in my conditions, the velamen on certain plants becomes less permeable, protecting against water loss? With the consequence of making it harder to absorb water? Neostylis, Lc and the Phals are potted in bark, while Den. and Soph. are on bark mounts with a wee bit of sphagnum moss. The Christieare is in a basket with several large chunks of bark. I'm wondering if those of you with greenhouses also observe this phenomenom? What about Those of you who grow outside all year? ( I'm not angry because you can - I'm angry because I can't! --- LOL) Thanks for letting me share! Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa - growing plants on a windowsill. |
orchid roots
I always found that a few of my Aussie native dens have a very interesting
velamen in that they turn splotchy when wet. They appear as mostly white, but have a few green spots. Kye. "Ray B" wrote in message news:0XQ9i.13456$Gy4.3106@trndny08... An interesting question, Bob. I see something similar, and I grow in a greenhouse, so the humidity is usually quite good. I have always chalked it up to individuals, rather than type of plant, but maybe I just didn't catch the connection. The velamen is supposed to capture water, and I had never heard of the "prevent moisture loss" concept applied to it. Might it have something to do with age, or maybe what the conditions were like when the roots grew? The concept there is that maybe - if the plant was watered well during the time of the growth of those specific roots - the velamen was not a crucial part of the uptake mechanism, so didn't develop to absorb as readily as that that grew under drier conditions. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! "bobc" wrote in message ups.com... I was re-reading previous posts on Renanthera and the discussion wandered into watering aerial roots. Several people mentioned roots turning green. I have noticed that some of my plant's roots turn green instantly and others take a much longer time. Some do not turn green at all. Neostylis, Christieara and Phalaenopsis are in the former group. As soon as water hits them the roots begin to darken. Dendrobium biggibum, Sophronitis cernua and Laeliocattleya Little Stars only get some green patches ( at best), even after fifteen or twenty minutes in a bucket of water. They all look fine, making new growth and flowering regularly. I'm wondering if because of the low relative humidity in my conditions, the velamen on certain plants becomes less permeable, protecting against water loss? With the consequence of making it harder to absorb water? Neostylis, Lc and the Phals are potted in bark, while Den. and Soph. are on bark mounts with a wee bit of sphagnum moss. The Christieare is in a basket with several large chunks of bark. I'm wondering if those of you with greenhouses also observe this phenomenom? What about Those of you who grow outside all year? ( I'm not angry because you can - I'm angry because I can't! --- LOL) Thanks for letting me share! Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa - growing plants on a windowsill. |
orchid roots
Good topic for discussion. I find that among groups of our plants the degree
of "greenness" varies. Some of the Phals, notably the ones with thinner roots, green up immediately. But we have some that have much thicker roots, and in order to get them green it takes a good deal more water. I have made the assumption (yes, I know, that's dangerous) that the dark green roots cannot absorb much more. So far, the growth rates in both types are similar. Bob, with regard to your biggibum, the roots on our superbums green only at the tips. The same goes for reed stem Epis. And the variation in "greening" in our Vandaceous plants is enormous. We grow outside under screen. Diana "Kye" wrote in message ... I always found that a few of my Aussie native dens have a very interesting velamen in that they turn splotchy when wet. They appear as mostly white, but have a few green spots. Kye. "Ray B" wrote in message news:0XQ9i.13456$Gy4.3106@trndny08... An interesting question, Bob. I see something similar, and I grow in a greenhouse, so the humidity is usually quite good. I have always chalked it up to individuals, rather than type of plant, but maybe I just didn't catch the connection. The velamen is supposed to capture water, and I had never heard of the "prevent moisture loss" concept applied to it. Might it have something to do with age, or maybe what the conditions were like when the roots grew? The concept there is that maybe - if the plant was watered well during the time of the growth of those specific roots - the velamen was not a crucial part of the uptake mechanism, so didn't develop to absorb as readily as that that grew under drier conditions. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! "bobc" wrote in message ups.com... I was re-reading previous posts on Renanthera and the discussion wandered into watering aerial roots. Several people mentioned roots turning green. I have noticed that some of my plant's roots turn green instantly and others take a much longer time. Some do not turn green at all. Neostylis, Christieara and Phalaenopsis are in the former group. As soon as water hits them the roots begin to darken. Dendrobium biggibum, Sophronitis cernua and Laeliocattleya Little Stars only get some green patches ( at best), even after fifteen or twenty minutes in a bucket of water. They all look fine, making new growth and flowering regularly. I'm wondering if because of the low relative humidity in my conditions, the velamen on certain plants becomes less permeable, protecting against water loss? With the consequence of making it harder to absorb water? Neostylis, Lc and the Phals are potted in bark, while Den. and Soph. are on bark mounts with a wee bit of sphagnum moss. The Christieare is in a basket with several large chunks of bark. I'm wondering if those of you with greenhouses also observe this phenomenom? What about Those of you who grow outside all year? ( I'm not angry because you can - I'm angry because I can't! --- LOL) Thanks for letting me share! Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa - growing plants on a windowsill. |
orchid roots
On Jun 7, 6:17 am, "Ray B" wrote:
An interesting question, Bob. I see something similar, and I grow in a greenhouse, so the humidity is usually quite good. I have always chalked it up to individuals, rather than type of plant, but maybe I just didn't catch the connection. The velamen is supposed to capture water, and I had never heard of the "prevent moisture loss" concept applied to it. Might it have something to do with age, or maybe what the conditions were like when the roots grew? The concept there is that maybe - if the plant was watered well during the time of the growth of those specific roots - the velamen was not a crucial part of the uptake mechanism, so didn't develop to absorb as readily as that that grew under drier conditions. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids -www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! Hi Ray! I don't know if it's due to age or not. I've always noticed the way my plants roots responded to the application of water, but never questioned it before. I'm going to try and pay closer attention for the next few weeks to see how the various roots on each plant responds. I did notice last night, watering the Den biggibum, that the oldest part of the root darkened rather quickly. And the closer to the growing tip, the whiter the velamen. I'm going to see if that holds true for the other plants as well. Another interesting thing I noticed is the growing tip of the root on the Christieara is reddish ... I believe most, if not all the other plant's root tips are green. Bob |
orchid roots
Some orchids definitely have different root colors. My Max. schunkeana has
dark purple roots with little light green tips, and I've seen Bulb. purpureorachis with lighter reddish-purple roots and long green tips. The roots can be pretty cool looking. -danny |
orchid roots
On Jun 7, 4:31 pm, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote: Good topic for discussion. I find that among groups of our plants the degree of "greenness" varies. Some of the Phals, notably the ones with thinner roots, green up immediately. But we have some that have much thicker roots, and in order to get them green it takes a good deal more water. I have made the assumption (yes, I know, that's dangerous) that the dark green roots cannot absorb much more. So far, the growth rates in both types are similar. Bob, with regard to your biggibum, the roots on our superbums green only at the tips. The same goes for reed stem Epis. And the variation in "greening" in our Vandaceous plants is enormous. We grow outside under screen. Diana Hi Diana, So apparently this greening isn't due to the low relative humidity in my house. You're in Florida, I believe and Ray has a greenhouse, and you both have noticed the same thing. As does Kye. My general assumption was that velamen, functioning to absorb water, would be very quick to grab it as available. And the green color was due to the chlorophyll in the roots becoming visible. I guessed my relatively dry atmosphere caused the velamen to thicken (maybe), and the root would become green quickly to maximize water intake. Even perhaps going so far as to perhaps develop a one way mechanism - quick on the uptake, slow to evaporate. As opposed to a high RH situation where the velamen didn't have to work so hard. There being plenty of moisture in the air. ( I kind of expected that in a high RH situation orchid roots would be green most or all of the time. There would be no real change of color). When I started to pay attention, however, I didn't see the quick greening of roots like I expected. At least not on every exposed root. Encyclia tampensis is another one in that the greening is so faint that unless I look closely, it appears white. And that has lots of exposed roots. The bigibbum that I thought stayed white really has some very faint green after watering. Well got to go ... my daughter needs the computer for school. Have a great day! Bob Campoli |
orchid roots
Someone in our local society mentioned that the water temperature can have a
big effect on how quickly the roots turn green. He said warmer water turns them green faster. -danny |
orchid roots
I just returned from a business trip, so sorry if this is late, but I have a
vanda in the GH that is totally unpotted, hanging from a wire. The roots that grew last year sort of stopped over the winter. This spring they all stated to branch like crazy. The "old part" greens up rapidly when sprayed, the new growth does not. From that, what do we speculate? -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! "danny" wrote in message ... Someone in our local society mentioned that the water temperature can have a big effect on how quickly the roots turn green. He said warmer water turns them green faster. -danny |
orchid roots
Ray
I have noticed the same thing with my Vandas. If you rub the old part when wet it seems to green up quicker. Is there a protective coating on the older part of the root? John "Ray B" wrote in message news:nZXbi.7251$c45.4905@trndny06... I just returned from a business trip, so sorry if this is late, but I have a vanda in the GH that is totally unpotted, hanging from a wire. The roots that grew last year sort of stopped over the winter. This spring they all stated to branch like crazy. The "old part" greens up rapidly when sprayed, the new growth does not. From that, what do we speculate? -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! "danny" wrote in message ... Someone in our local society mentioned that the water temperature can have a big effect on how quickly the roots turn green. He said warmer water turns them green faster. -danny |
orchid roots
On Jun 13, 5:52 pm, "John Varigos"
wrote: Ray I have noticed the same thing with my Vandas. If you rub the old part when wet it seems to green up quicker. Is there a protective coating on the older part of the root? John "Ray B" wrote in message news:nZXbi.7251$c45.4905@trndny06... I just returned from a business trip, so sorry if this is late, but I have a vanda in the GH that is totally unpotted, hanging from a wire. The roots that grew last year sort of stopped over the winter. This spring they all stated to branch like crazy. The "old part" greens up rapidly when sprayed, the new growth does not. From that, what do we speculate? -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids -www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! "danny" wrote in message . .. Someone in our local society mentioned that the water temperature can have a big effect on how quickly the roots turn green. He said warmer water turns them green faster. -danny- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Speculate? Ok now my head is starting to hurt! LOL Thinking does that to me sometimes G However, it leads me to think the older roots or older parts of a root are quicker to grab water. There must be something on or in the newer velamen resistant to water uptake ... some kind of waxy coating? Perhaps to facilitate sliding through .... wait, there is no substrate. Maybe to protect the newest parts of the root from drying out as they grow? Doesn't water and nutrients flow throughout a plant? Regardless of which part of the plant absorbs it? Roots are important to a plant and extra protection to the more fragile ( or delicate?) tips while they are developing seems reasonable. Perhaps once the new root stops growing, rests, then begins growing again ... that part of the root loses the waxy coating ( or whatever it might be) and now absorbs water quickly. Gotta go ... daughter's done work and I gotta pick her up. Have a great day! Bob Campoli |
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