Step-by-step instructions: how to carry out the procedure correctly?
It is advisable to prune dead roots when your flower has already faded and is at rest. But there are times when a plant transplant and pruning of putrefactive formations is urgently needed. Then you have to choose between flowering and saving the flower.
So, you've decided on a pruning. If the orchid is in a state of flowering, then the first step is to remove the peduncle. Alas! Beautiful flowers will have to be sacrificed.
This must be done in order for the flower's powers to switch to creating and growing a healthy new root system.
Instrument preparation
To remove infected and dry roots, you need to prepare the following tools and accessories:
- Knife (scissors, pruning shears). They must be well sharpened so that the removal of unnecessary roots is carried out in one motion.
It is not advisable to use nail scissors for this procedure. They are too small and can cause irreparable harm to the plant.
- Antiseptic agent for disinfecting instruments. In the absence of such, burning of the tool with fire is allowed.
- Medical rubber gloves. They are necessary not only to protect the hands, but also to prevent unnecessary substances on the skin of the hands from getting to the cut of the plant.
- Powdered activated carbon (if not available, you can replace it with charcoal). It will protect fresh cuts from drying out and infection.
- Oilcloth and a new pot (if the old pot is the right size for your orchid, you can use it too, pre-treated with an antiseptic).
Search for roots
First you need to carefully remove the orchid from the pot, being careful not to damage the root system. This is easiest to do when the soil is dry.
Then shake off the roots from the soil
If this does not work, carefully untangle the roots with your hands and remove the excess substrate.
Let's move on to examining the root system. Rotten roots can be seen immediately, they acquire a peculiar brownish color and are distinguished by excessive moisture. We check the dried roots with water to see if they are capable of further life.
If not, we can safely define them in the category of cutoffs.
So, we have identified the roots to be removed.
Process
- Cover the table with oilcloth.
- Wear rubber gloves.
- Treat instruments with an antiseptic.
- Cut off damaged roots with a knife:
- If the rot is located only at the bottom of the root, only the affected area needs to be cut off.
- If the root has rotted at the base of the flower, it is cut off completely.
- Treat the sections with an antiseptic.
How to handle the damaged area?
A cut for a plant is like a wound for a person. Through it, the flower can infect an infection. Therefore, cutting the cut is a mandatory procedure when pruning the roots. There are several ways to handle slices:
- Crush a tablet of activated carbon into powder, sprinkle on the cut site.
- You can also do with charcoal.
- A good decongestant is sphagnum moss. It must be crushed and applied to the cut site.
- Manganese solution. Process the cut site.
- Zelenka. Process the cut site.
- Ground cinnamon is an excellent fungicide for orchid cuttings.
You can not process the cuts on the roots of orchids with vodka or alcohol. They can dry out healthy roots.
After the places of the orchid cuts are processed, a vitamin compress can be made to the roots of the exotic. To do this, dilute 1 ampoule of vitamins B12, B1, B6 in 1 liter of water.Place the roots of the flower in this solution and keep them there for 10-15 minutes.
Reason 2: inappropriate pot size
With a prolonged absence of a transplant, another problem may arise - the orchid simply outgrows its pot. Moreover, the better conditions the plants are kept, the faster this process takes place.
Determining that the roots have become too crowded in the pot is quite simple:
- through the walls of the container, it is noticeable that the roots have completely mastered the volume and interfere with each other;
- individual roots began to grow through the drainage holes;
- the plant looks "raised" as the overgrown root system pushes it out of the pot.
An orchid that has overgrown its pot is easy to recognize - it falls on its side, and if the container is too light, it may even turn over.
Why did the orchid roots come out of the pot?
It is worth taking into account the fact that the order of supply of nutrients and moisture to an orchid that is at home differs from that in natural conditions. Under natural conditions, the orchid receives nutrients only through the root air system.
Under natural conditions, the orchid receives nutrients only through the root air system.
It grows where there is practically no soil, and is attached by branches to trees and large plants.
This form of existence is called epiphyte.
An orchid that is placed in soil mainly receives nutrients and moisture from it.
But still, it releases some of the roots to the surface and this is normal.
You can determine how the plant is feeling by the condition of the roots, because any deviation from the norm is reflected in the roots.
They begin to rot, discolor or dry out.
If the roots are greyish green and look unhealthy (they are fleshy and firm in good condition), this means that the plant is under stress.
Healthy shoots are light green in color.
Pay attention to the density of the roots, if they grow too dense, transplant the flower into a larger pot. When doing this, use a special soil medium for orchids.
Use a special potting medium for orchids.
The orchid will receive nutrients from this substrate and will not have much need to release many aerial roots.
What to do?
Look at the condition of the roots, if they are hard and white, it means that they are healthy and you do not need to do anything.
What definitely cannot be done is to remove air roots if they are healthy.
If the roots are dry and dead, they can be cut off, but this must be done very carefully, the instrument must be disinfected.
You cannot cut off the healthy part of the root, some kind of virus can get into the open wound.
How to reduce aerial roots?
The appearance of a large number of roots can be influenced by the conditions in which the orchid is kept.
Lack of space
If the orchid has become cramped in the pot, it will root outward, in search of a new place.
In this case, you need to transplant the plant into a larger pot.
To allow the roots to receive more light, plant them in a transparent pot.
Excessive watering
If a flower is flooded with water, its roots will rot and aerial roots will begin to form, just to survive.
Lack of moisture
If the roots do not have enough water, they will begin to grow outward, because with the help of the roots the orchid receives moisture from the environment.
Moisture may not be enough not only due to lack of watering, but also due to dry air.
Soil density
Dense soil is not suitable for an orchid, it is difficult for roots to develop in it.
Substrate
If the soil is not chosen correctly, the flower will try to escape from adverse conditions.
The substrate should be changed every 3 years.
Insufficient lighting
Lack of light stops the process of photosynthesis and the roots begin to rot, so the plant is forced to release the roots outside in order to receive light with them.
An orchid has yellow roots, what to do. So, orchids with light roots:
White on the outside, hollow on the inside.
A common mistake of inexperienced growers: it seems to them that if the root is light, then it is alive, but if you cut the root, it turns out that inside it is dry, empty.
Is yellow bad?
Sometimes the roots, deeply embedded in the substrate, acquire a yellow and even brown tint. The reason for this is that the roots are in the dark, in addition, the color of the roots can be influenced by substances that the orchid absorbs from the soil. In this case, the dark color of the roots in no way indicates a deterioration in the health of the flower.
How to tell if orchids have dead or live roots?
If the root is firm, elastic, this is a sign of its vitality.
And vice versa: even if the root looks quite healthy, but when pressed with a finger or nail, it is easily pressed through, then, most likely, this root is already dead.
It happens that, in general, a seemingly healthy root has a necrotic area somewhere in one place. Such a root will no longer be useful to the plant, since it is not able to feed it fully, and may even be harmful: a dead area can become a source of infection for the plant stems. Therefore, when examining the roots, be very careful.
It is a mistake to believe that if the upper, green part of the orchid is normal, then everything is in order with the roots. The disease-causing process in the roots does not proceed with lightning speed, and if you identify diseased roots in time, you will have time to save the orchid.
Reasons for the death of roots in orchids:
- excessive moisture, poor lighting, too dry soil in the heat - that is, a violation of the agrotechnical conditions for growing orchids;
- fungal or bacterial infection of the plant;
- advanced age of the plant.
What if you find dead roots on your orchid?
First of all, correct mistakes in plant care. An orchid can only be reanimated in conditions that are optimal for it. A new root system can only appear from new shoots, while new shoots are obtained only from green living buds. Our first task is to find these very kidneys.
Is it possible to trim air or underground roots and is it necessary?
The first thing that orchid breeders need to know is that most species of this plant are epiphytes. Therefore, the plant has two types of roots:
- air;
- underground.
If with underground everything is more or less clear, then with air it is not so simple. An aerial root system is essential for epiphytes. With the help of it, the orchid is saturated with sunlight and moisture accumulated by these roots.
New roots may appear due to the arid climate. So the plant increases the surface area through which it is going to absorb moisture.
In this case, you just need to create comfortable conditions for a representative of the orchid family, that is, to increase the humidity of the air around the plant, for example, by means of trays with water.
That is why, if you doubt whether it is possible to cut off the roots, both aerial and underground, then you just need to remember that this cannot be done without special need. This should be done only if the flower root begins to dry out, die off or decay.
Alive
It is not difficult to distinguish a living and healthy root from a dead one:
- A healthy root is firm and firm to the touch. With light pressure, it does not break or squeeze. The dead, on the other hand, is dry and shriveled.
- It differs in color from dying roots in a lighter shade. Darkened roots are a sign of incipient withering away.
- There are no lesions, spots and various kinds of necrosis at the root.
- Tears in the upper layer of the root also indicate that such a root will not live long. It will soon die out.
If it was not possible to determine a living root or a dead one by its appearance, then you can immerse the root system of the flower in a container with water.
Living roots will immediately take on a rich green color. If this does not happen, the roots are dead. You will most likely have to get rid of them.
Dry dead
You can do different things with dead roots:
- If decay has occurred, such roots absolutely must be removed. Decay is the attack on healthy roots by putrefactive bacteria. It will no longer be possible to save such a root.
In addition, if one of the roots of the flower has rotted, the rest of the roots will become infected very soon. If the infected roots are not pruned in time, the plant may soon die.
- But the dried roots, although they will not be able to provide the plant with the necessary nutrition, will not cause any harm to the orchids. Some growers leave them to give more stability in the pot.
What to do with it?
Excessive growth of aerial roots is not dangerous if the orchid visually looks good - the leaves are elastic, the color is rich green, the peduncle comes on schedule, the roots are smooth, without signs of disease and drying out.
It is worth taking measures if the plants do not feel well, including due to the large number of aerial roots. The way out of the situation is to transplant the orchid into a larger container.
The substrate for the flower must be changed every three years. A good substrate option is moss, charcoal, pine chips in a 2: 1: 5 ratio. When transplanting, it is not recommended to completely replace the soil; it is worth leaving part of the old one. So that the plant survives the move less painfully.
Step-by-step instructions for transplanting
Step-by-step instructions for transplanting an orchid:
- Remove the plant from the old container, being careful not to damage the roots and processes.
- Separate the old substrate carefully from the roots.
- Get rid of dried and sore roots with scissors, which must be disinfected, as well as the cut site. Otherwise, the plant will get sick for a long time.
- If pests are found on the roots, it is necessary to soak the orchid for several hours in warm water, and then treat it with an antiparasitic agent.
- The plant dries up for 8 hours.
- Place a drainage layer on the bottom of the new container. Place the orchid in a bowl at a medium depth. Gently support the roots and fill in the new substrate.
Important! The soil should not be strongly compacted, as well as leave unnecessary voids. The trunk of the orchid should hold tightly without dangling .. It is recommended to transplant the orchid after flowering
If this is done during the period of budding or flowering, the plant will have a hard time moving to a new place.
It is recommended to do an orchid transplant after flowering. If this is done during the budding or flowering period, the plant will have a hard time moving to a new place.
