What to do with very small cattleya air roots

[MN Tomato]

So given that my first 2-inch potted cattleyas from Hausermann have now survived their first year with me, I decided to celebrate with the second annual "Winter is Coming" order this October.

This batch, however, includes a small brassocattleya with roots outside the pot, which last year's batch did not. These roots do not seem to be coping very well with the low humidity (40-50%) in the central heating, although the new pots are in the highest humidity area I have, squeezed among the rhipsalis cuttings on the light shelves.

I was thinking about a couple of options, and could use some advice:
1) put it in a cachepot with some sphagnum wrapped around between the inner and outer pot
2) spritz the air roots with water daily (I am trying not to overwater)
3) carefully up-pot so the roots are in media, disturbing them as little as possible.

Last year's batch I did not repot until new roots showed in spring, which seems to have worked pretty well. This is a Brassocattleya Air Mososa Mickey Mouse and I don't know when I can expect it to start new roots.

[Leafmite]

You could put the entire thing into the larger pot which you wish to use next spring. That would give the roots more humidity.

[Louis_W]

Personally I would just focus on the roots inside the pot. Don't disturb the rest of the roots just to take care of the strays. I would just include them in the new pot next time you pot up.

[estación seca]

Agree with above. Aerial roots don't do well in typical home humidity. The plants do fine with healthy roots in the pot. Repot if you wish when new roots form.

[rbarata]

I water all roots. It comes a time, depending on several factors, when the number of aerial roots surpasses those in the pot. Hence they become the main water source in detriment of those in the pot.

[Leafmite]

Some in the Cattleya family, like Brassavola nodosa, actually prefer to have their roots exposed to air. When I bought my first Brassavola, it was recommended to grow them mounted, bare root.

[Keysguy]

If it was mine, I'd leave it alone for another season. Leafmite is correct. Anything with Brassavola in it is going to throw air roots everywhere if it is nice and healthy. Once you have new growths that are outside of the pot, you want to think about up-potting. Do that as roots on new growths are a couple of inches long. Soak the plant really good, especially the roots attached to the outside of the pot. Give it 15-20 minutes and you should be able to delicately detach those roots attached to the outside of the pot and pull everything out in one piece. Stuff all the roots in the new pot, rinse and repeat in a couple years.

[MN Tomato]

Thank you all! I have seen the photos of brassavolas with lots of air roots (I spend the winter evenings working my way through the back pages of Orchidboard ha ha) but many are posted by people from humid places like Florida. The plastic pot is now sitting inside a soaked clay pot so that might help.

I have seen advice that brassavolas especially want to be "underpotted" but don't know why. The "lead" growth point is calloused so I am interested to see which direction the next growth comes out.

[thefish1337]

I just let the plants do whatever they want. I have C loddigesii with 3 ft long air roots growing in my condo with humidity from 40-60% and lower in the winter with the heat on.

[RalphMunson]

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