roots sticking to media

[mochalatte]

I have an oncidium planted in lava rocks and the roots are sticking to them so much that I can't remove any rocks without breaking a root. In some cases the roots are growing into the holes in the rocks as well which seems odd. I wouldn't have noticed but I potted it 6 months ago after I made a bit of a mistake (forgot to water it for a couple of months) and ended up cutting off all the roots and buried the shriveled pseudobulbs under the rocks to keep the plant from tipping over. Now it's filled out a bit and the rocks seem to be digging in to the pseudobulbs and I tried to take some out but ended up snapping off roots. It does seem to be doing alright (growing it's second new pseudobulb) and i'm wondering if I should just leave it alone or if this seems like a problem that needs to be fixed. Are the roots behaving normally? The orchids in stores never seem to have roots sticking to anything.

Thanks!

[78Terp]

That is normal root behavior.

Snapping roots trying to repot is unavoidable. Soak it in water to soften the roots before you attempt taking it apart. And I would wait until it is putting out new roots so it can recover from any roots that may be damaged easier.

[coeruleo]

my advice is to leave the lava stuck to the roots, if you want you can repot so the bulbs are at a more normal level, or repot into a bark mix or whatever. the lava will outlive the roots, and does not spoil, so just leave it attached. i do this with bark as well. if the plant is holding tight, don't rip it apart, it wants that piece. i think some orchids; maybe most; need to feel like they have a tight grip on something before they will flower. in nature, those roots are not just getting moisture, they are holding on to trees and supporting the weight of the plant.

[ksriramkumar]

Concur with Harvey and Coeruleo. Leave it as is.