orchid roots

by nicky
(caister on sea)

our orchid has started to grow shoots on the roots can you please tell what is happening

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Oct 06, 2013
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by: Cable Thompson

Orchid roots sometimes develop branches; most likely that's what you're seeing, and this is normal. The growth tips of orchid roots are green; in time the outer layer of cells will die, turn white, and become a moisture-absorbing layer called velamen.

Also, I can think of two other possibilities for what you might be seeing:

1. You may have mistaken a new flower spike for a root; flower stems are normally green (or in some plants, reddish/purplish due to anthocyanin pigments produced by the plant.) They don't turn white like roots. Like roots, flower stems sometimes branch, or they may even produce keikis.

2. Perhaps you have a weed sprouting from right under a root and it's hard to see that it isn't actually growing from the root? If it develops foliage that is obviously different from your orchid, pull the weed!

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