Quote Originally Posted by rosie View Post
Why Paphioboy would the 'standard practices' in Asian countries be to remove the roots, what is the purpose of that?
In tropical countries, epiphytic orchids are usually grown in 100% charcoal and repotted very infrequently (not even once every 2-3 years). Therefore, when repotting is done, the old root system and old media, more often than not, is covered with mosses and algae, which may impede oxygen to the roots. Old roots on some orchids like seasonal dendrobiums, are useless anyway and only function for anchorage, but not absorption. These rely on the fresh flush of roots from the newest pseudobulb to obtain water and nutrients. So cutting the roots off is not a problem as dends and catts have pbulbs for storage, and this practice also forces the plant to grow a new set of roots onto fresh medium.