orchid root question

Tis' normal. The green tips have not developed the gray skin (vellum) yet. That absorbs and holds the water until the plant takes it up. Should the plant have enough water and that covering stays wet root rot may develop.

Thanks for that info. It is the entire length of the new roots that repel the water, not just the tips. Some of these newer roots are 3 to 4 inches long. Just seems like a strange phenomena. Then again, orchids themselves are kinda strange in that one has to throw out everything one knows about terrestrial house plants.....'cause orchids are so different. Fascinating but different.

You can soak them and likely in less than 20 minutes they will be green. It probably would be a good thing to do to help them be healthy. Use slightly warm water. Just be sure to get the excess water out of the axis of the leaves and stem as well as the crown. This will avoid crown rot from soaking it and getting water in dangerous places. I use the corner of a paper napkin or paper towel.

Velamen is an array of dead cells, sort-of like the very top layer of our skin (although we tend to lose them rapidly, while on an orchid they serve a strategic purpose). Aged vellum will be more porous than new stuff, so may take a little coaxing to begin to absorb well. Spray, wait 15 minutes, and respray, and you'll see it do a better job.

There was a study once that showed that velamen has the unique ability to strongly trap nutrient ions. When you consider that the nutrients washed out of the forest canopy are only present at the instant a downpour begins, the ability to grab them before the continuing torrent washes them away is a great adaptation. It's also evidence that "watering first, then feeding" is a mistake: water first, and the velamen gets saturated, trapping whatever ions are in the water. Then feed, and there are fewer, if any, places for the intended nutrient ions to go.

Watering with a very dilute fertilizer solution routinely - flooding the plant each time, just as happens in nature - seems to me to be a far better way to irrigate. And, it's easier, because you never have to be concerned about a feeding schedule!

Originally Posted by raybark

Velamen is an array of dead cells, sort-of like the very top layer of our skin (although we tend to lose them rapidly, while on an orchid they serve a strategic purpose). Aged vellum will be more porous than new stuff, so may take a little coaxing to begin to absorb well. Spray, wait 15 minutes, and respray, and you'll see it do a better job.

There was a study once that showed that velamen has the unique ability to strongly trap nutrient ions. When you consider that the nutrients washed out of the forest canopy are only present at the instant a downpour begins, the ability to grab them before the continuing torrent washes them away is a great adaptation. It's also evidence that "watering first, then feeding" is a mistake: water first, and the velamen gets saturated, trapping whatever ions are in the water. Then feed, and there are fewer, if any, places for the intended nutrient ions to go.

Watering with a very dilute fertilizer solution routinely - flooding the plant each time, just as happens in nature - seems to me to be a far better way to irrigate. And, it's easier, because you never have to be concerned about a feeding schedule!

I so appreciate this response. Growing orchids I learned very quickly about the velamen but never knew exactly why this was the case. It was interesting to read about the evolution and how these amazing plants so readily adapt to their environment.

cheers,
BD