Often novice growers do not know how to distinguish dead orchid roots from living ones and how to keep this plant. The orchid is an epiphytic plant, and its conditions are special.
Instructions
Step 1
The main task of the root of any plant is to absorb moisture from the environment along with the nutrients and minerals it contains. Plants living in the ground absorb moisture directly from the entire root surface, and therefore their root system looks completely different from that of orchids. In natural conditions, orchids, like all other epiphytes, settle on tree trunks or on rocks, and their roots are constantly in the air, open to all winds. In this regard, their structure is different than that of the roots of an ordinary plant. The roots of orchids are very thick, and are in a kind of cover that protects them from drying out and is called velamen.
Step 2
In its natural habitat, the velomen on the roots of orchids easily absorbs the moisture flowing down from the tree trunk and stores it in the right amount. Together with water, it stores both minerals and products of decaying organic matter, which the orchid needs for development. The root of the orchid is often overgrown with moss - this kind of synthesis helps to retain and absorb moisture. The root shell makes up 70% of its volume - the root itself is small and is inside. As moisture from the velamen is pulled out by the root to feed the plant, if no new is supplied, the shell around the root falls off, shrivels, the root itself becomes brown instead of white-green.
Step 3
Shriveled brown orchid roots are not a sign of a plant that is not viable. You can find out exactly whether the root is dead or alive only after the orchid has lain in warm water for some time. Living roots will expand, puff up and turn white, filled with moisture. Therefore, after buying a new plant, you should not cut off all brown at once, considering it a source of rot and infection. Those roots that remain brown and shriveled after an hour in warm water can be safely cut off as dead. But most of the brown and dry roots will be saturated with moisture and take on their usual volume and the usual white-green color.
Step 4
Orchid root is not able to absorb moisture from the environment with little or no oxygen, as is the case with ordinary plants. That is why the orchid is planted in a mixture of sphagnum and pieces of bark (in our latitudes, pine is most often taken, as the least prone to decay). In the process of decomposition of the bark and moss, the orchid receives some of the nutrients it needs, but in general, the bark is not food for orchids. In special nurseries, orchidariums, these plants thrive completely without supports, tied with a string to a post, and its roots look much healthier than any orchid growing on a windowsill in a pot. If the plant likes the conditions, it will not slow down to show it by the growth of new roots that will look even better than the old ones. The growing tips of old roots are bright green in color and shine brightly.
