Can phal roots recover if not rotted?

[JerseyGirlBecky]

I just repotted a phal given to me by a friend. It was in the bark mixture. Don't know how much she watered.
The roots were all biege, no green ones at all, but they were still firm. I did not trim them, just repotted in new bark mixture and watered very lightly from the top.
Can they recover and maybe green up? Or will it have to make new ones? I do see it has a couple of new air roots coming.
Thanks, Becky

[tucker85]

I've seen new roots grow out of older dry roots that looked dead to me. The fact that they're firm suggests to me that they can recover. I've found that if a root is broken it will not recover past the break, so I always cut broken roots off when I'm repotting. Good luck.

[JerseyGirlBecky]

Thank you, That makes me feel a little better. The top of the plant is beautiful. I thought Phals the easiest of the Orchids, but am finding out that is not so.
Watering is super hard.
Becky

[camille1585]

If the plant was in a opaque pot, then the roots with not be green since there's no light getting to them. Normally, if you put it in a clear pot, the roots exposed to light should green up over time.

You're right, phals are not always the easiest orchids, but it also depends on the person's watering habits and the climate. I find them super easy to grow, while others have a hard time keeping them alive. Same goes for other genera.

[Brotherly Monkey]

Originally Posted by tucker85

I've seen new roots grow out of older dry roots that looked dead to me. The fact that they're firm suggests to me that they can recover. I've found that if a root is broken it will not recover past the break, so I always cut broken roots off when I'm repotting. Good luck.

I always noticed this was true of certain genus, like cattleya

[WhiteRabbit]

If the roots are firm they should be fine ...

I've had my share of trouble growing Phals too ...
Getting better tho

[RosieC]

Firm roots are good roots.

They may be brown due to staining from the media, in which case they won't go green again BUT they are still good to draw up moisture. As Camille said they may be pale brown/white if they have not been exposed to light and letting some light get to them will then green them up.

Either way, firm roots are good

[Jennyfleur]

Yes, firm is good

I think there can be a bit of confusion with lots of people when they repot: if the plant has been in bark (for example) in a clear pot, the roots on the outside will be green but the ones towards the middle will not be, as the sunlight does not get to them. Therefore, people can panic when they repot because the assumption is that, if they're not green, they're not healthy and so a perfectly good root gets the chop and don't forget that whiter roots could mean that they are dry - if that's the case, they'll go green with some water