Can the roots of an orchid that have come out of the pot be trimmed and how to do it?

What to do if orchid roots begin to crawl out of the pot? How to be? What is the reason for this, as it seems to novice flower growers, trouble? To deal with the questions, let us first recall where these wonderful plants came from at all, which attracted researchers of the tropics and pioneers with their refined flowers.

Orchids are an extensive family of monocotyledonous herbaceous plants. They are very widespread (on all continents except Antarctica), which indicates the antiquity of this taxon. Most of the plants are representatives of the tropical flora, although there are quite a few of them in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North America.

Such a substrate is highly depleted in nutrients, is easily permeable to water and air, and is of little use for fixing a plant. This caused such a wide adaptation of orchids and, accordingly, became the reason for the diversity of their forms.

In a warm and humid climate, plants have developed a very original way of existence, they have fleshy aerial roots that develop not underground, but above its surface.

There may not be any land proper for their development in nature at all. Having settled, for example, in a fork in a tree in the debris accumulated there (parts of the bark, withered leaves, rotten fruits and other plant debris), a tropical orchid begins to grow, using the moisture that accumulates there and the few substances dissolved in it. As it grows, it needs a stronger root system and more intense nutrition to hold onto its growing leaves and flowers. This is how the aerial roots of the orchid appear, which actively absorb water directly from the air, while they also increase the surface of the plant capable of photosynthesis. Growing, the roots help to distribute the weight of the orchid over a tree branch or rock ledge.

This is how a rather graceful plant with unusually exquisite flowers appears, surrounded by a whole heap of thick greenish-silvery intertwined and sometimes not at all aesthetic shoots.

Some novice flower growers, seeing that the roots of the orchid grow up, begin to panic, believing that something went wrong and they were mistaken in choosing the methods of caring for the plant. Often this prompts the beginning of active actions to transplant and "rescue" the orchid.

In fact, the plant entered such a phase of its development that it needed to increase the area of ​​the root system. Often this happens after flowering and rather long dormancy. The orchid begins to prepare for a new flowering, in other words, for reproduction. After all, the extraordinary flowers that have turned these tropical plants into a popular product of flower shops are just a necessary element for setting fruits, which are the main raison d'être of the original organism.

If at this important moment for the orchid you clumsily disturb its roots, everything may end up not at all as planned.

The main reason for this phenomenon is the unnaturalness of finding an orchid in a pot. At home, the plant is forced to be in a container that limits its freedom. For an orchid, a pot is a kind of cage in which it has to be planted in order to somehow imitate its natural habitat. And of course, imitation cannot be compared with the conditions in which the plant would have stayed if it were on the surface of some tropical giant high above the ground under the canopy of a tropical forest.

If the leaves are healthy, and the plant itself is actively growing, accumulating strength for flowering, it is undesirable to touch the aerial roots. However, sometimes you still have to pay attention to them. In the following cases, the crawled roots can be a signal for the beginning of active actions on the part of the grower:

• the pot has become small for the overgrown root system;
• the process of decay has begun;
• the potting medium is dry.

As you can see, the reasons can be absolutely opposite. To understand them, you also need to study the state of the leaves and other parts of the plant.

If the leaves begin to fade, and the aerial roots take on a brown color, you urgently need to save the orchid. This is a signal that the grower is too carried away by watering.

• Until decay has covered the vital centers of the plant, you must carefully remove it from the pot, wash the roots with water and examine them. It is better to remove all rotten and dead ones. In this case, the pot, most likely, will have to be cut (if it is plastic) or broken (glass or ceramic version), since from below, as a rule, processes also break through the drainage holes, which are most often impossible to remove in another way.
• All cut or accidentally damaged roots should be treated with an antiseptic, such as activated carbon. The plant must be dried, leaving it in the air for at least 12 hours in order for the slices to tighten, otherwise, once again being in the pot, they will again cause rotting.
• Taking the opportunity, it is better to replace the substrate with a new special mixture for orchids. In no case should it be possible to fill up the earth, the orchid is not only unnecessary, but also harmful. The organic acids in the soil can seriously damage the roots of a plant adapted to life on tree trunks and rocks.
• By replacing the container, you can also choose a more suitable size. Some growers recommend replacing the standard transparent pot with an original basket made of plastic or wood, which is easily breathable and does not retain moisture at all. It is in such conditions that the epiphyte is in its natural habitat. Over time, however, and such a container will be filled with roots, they will begin to crawl this time into the holes of the basket.

If the orchid regularly lacks moisture, the plant tries to find water on its own, releasing its aerial roots for this. This is exactly what it would do under natural conditions. If you respond to such a signal with a surgical method, that is, by removing the root, the plant will make several more attempts. It is clear that each shoot sent in search of water selects the substances necessary for development, and the wrong reaction of the grower only aggravates the situation, which is already extreme for the orchid.

The roots crawling out of the pot, which do not please the grower, are a natural manifestation of the vital activity of orchids in artificial conditions for their cultivation, and this process cannot be completely defeated.

Sometimes the roots come out in an attempt to get rid of unfavorable conditions (excessive or insufficient watering). What should be done in such situations is stated above.

It should be noted once again that under normal conditions there is no need to prune the roots, it is even harmful to plants. But if you want to remove damaged or rotten processes, you need to consider a few points:

• the knife must be sharp;
• the cut points and the instrument are disinfected;
• the sections dry well;
• it is better to preserve the bulk of the roots.