Hide the air root system in the potting medium. Good/Bad?

[iOrchid]

I have a few orchids with very large air roots. Is it fine to make them smaller by hiding them in the potting medium (bark) and let them grow out of the pot?

[Otis226]

I've done it before, without problems. But you must remember most of these are epiphytic plants and air roots are a very natural part of their growth. Unless the roots are close to the medium. I wouldn't force them into it.
Tony

[camille1585]

I've gotten air roots to grow down into the medium, but not actually buried them in the pot. This is because a root growing out in the air is tailored to that low humidity environment, and it's structure is very different than that of a root down in a pot (where it's very moist a lot of the time). An air root in a pot has a higher chance of rotting. If you coax the root to grow into the medium, then the new root tissue will be adapted to its environment.

[iOrchid]

This plant I am talking about is this one:
I dont know really what to put in the mix. Which one is air roots? The once with a "greener" tip?





Two pics, front and back.

[camille1585]

On a mount, there isn't really any different roots like you would have for a potted Phal. Your Phal could do with a much larger mount, it really doesn't have much to hold on to. You could put it on a large cork piece and pad it with some sphag.

[iOrchid]

Well, I want to pot it. Do you suggest I should put it in sphagnum moss until it gotten a root system?

[camille1585]

Oh right, I thought that you posted the pic just to ask about the air roots, and didn't realize that this was the plant you were talking about in your original question!
I would pot it in whatever medium you're used to growing phals in. I personally prefer a bark based mixture, but that's only because sphag doesn't dry quickly enough for my climate.

Why don't you want to keep it mounted?

[iOrchid]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Oh right, I thought that you posted the pic just to ask about the air roots, and didn't realize that this was the plant you were talking about in your original question!
I would pot it in whatever medium you're used to growing phals in. I personally prefer a bark based mixture, but that's only because sphag doesn't dry quickly enough for my climate.

Why don't you want to keep it mounted?

To much job to have it mounted. Spraying it once a day. I have a life outside the "orchid world". ;-) An autmated misting system had been neat, but that is to advanced for me. I just want it potted.
I read somewhere, if the orchid didt had any roots, sphag was the way to go. I live in the scandinavia, that have a climate that is... uhm, hard to explain. Cold winter and warm summers. :-)

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[camille1585]

Your orchid has a fair amount of roots, it's far from being rootless! It could have more of them, but the plant looks healthy and happy, so what it has is already more than enough.

[iOrchid]

So which roots should get into the compost? I just see one root, and thats the very tall one. Should the other once into the pot to?