Trimming the roots of an orchid: can and should it be done, for example, with dry air that has come out of the pot, and also, how and what to handle after?

Orchid is an exotic flower. She adorns window sills in the homes of Russians recently, but not everyone has the patience to organize the right care for her. Units take care of lighting, temperature, watering, but their efforts will not pay off with interest if they cut off the wrong roots.

The root system is the most problematic area of the flower. She has a special structure. Not knowing how to care for her; without knowing the secrets that it hides in itself, the orchid will not live long and will not bloom profusely. Do I need to cut off dry aerial roots from a plant, how to do it right? You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.

Air and underground

Orchids have aerial and underground roots. Florists are seen by both, since the orchid is grown in a transparent pot. Botanists see an invisible connection between aerial and underground roots.

The first is a modification of the second. They are located in the aerial part of the plant. They are needed to absorb rainwater and oxygen from the air. All tropical crops (and the orchid is a guest from the tropics) have this type of root system, since in the soil layers under natural conditions there are few mineral salts.

Functions of Aerial Roots:

Supporting.
Supportive.

Epiphytes growing in the wild have well-developed aerial roots, with the help of which moisture is collected from the atmosphere when there is no rain in the tropics for a long time, and even in the bark of trees it does not persist.

Next, a visual video about the importance of aerial roots of orchids:

Do I need to trim?

Novice flower growers often ask themselves: is it necessary and whether it is possible to prune the roots? They consider overhead shoots a sign of the development of a serious disease in the pet. Because of this, they often act imprudently, immersing them in a substrate or cutting them off.

Neither aerial nor underground roots prune for no good reason.. So they do it, seeing that they have dried up, began to rot or die. A healthy root has a greenish tint when wet and silvery gray when dry. The younger he is, the richer his color scheme.

Sometimes they notice the absence of young light green roots. In order to solve this problem, adjust the frequency of watering. If there are a lot of them, water the plant less often.

Living

The living root is easy to distinguish from the dead. It is white then as dead dark or darkened. Unable to detect it on their own, put the plant in a container of water and see if any roots have turned bright green. If the color change has not occurred, the roots are dead.

Important! Living roots are not pruned, as this hurts orchids and contributes to the development of diseases.

The dead

Regarding the dead roots, the opinions of gardeners differ. Some say that it is necessary to remove them without fear, while others advise to keep them in order to contribute to the stability of the orchid in the pot.

With rotten roots do without hesitation: cut them off. They will never dry out, putrefactive bacteria live and multiply in them, causing a lot of harm to orchids.

The following is a visual video on how to distinguish living roots from dead:

If they got out of the pot

Aerial roots are no cause for concern, since their appearance is due to the characteristics of orchids. In the wild, they grow on rocky rocks, on trees or in ravines. They are needed to obtain the substances necessary for growth and flowering.

Even in an apartment in the surrounding air contains the necessary and nourishing moisture for them. By removing aerial roots, they deprive the beauty of nutritious moisture, without which she dies. No matter how many aerial roots are, they are not removed if they have a healthy appearance.

Step-by-step cropping instructions

Pruning roots in orchids is a healing procedurewhich is carried out when it is at rest, i.e. faded. After conducting it, the grower redirects nutrients from putrefactive areas to healthy ones.

Rotting is the process of destruction of organic nitrogen-containing compounds by the action of microbial enzymes. If one of the roots of an orchid is affected by rot, other areas will soon become infected. Refusing health measures, he pushes her to an early death.

Before you cut off the suspicious-looking part of the plant, cut a small piece of it from the secateurs. He is being examined. If his color is white, do nothing with him. Only shriveled, brown and rotting processes are cut off.

Tool preparation

When trimming, the florist uses a knife or pruner. He must prepare the tool before use. Without doing this, do not be surprised at the infection. To disinfect, wipe the cutting part of the tool with alcohol. Manicure scissors are not the best choice when you need to cut a green darling. Often delicate leaves damage them.

Search for items to shorten

Before starting the procedure, inspect the roots. Remove those that have dried up or started to rot. They differ from healthy ones in that they do not change their color as the substrate dries in the pot: they are always brown.

Attention! After the procedure, do not water the orchid, so as not to contribute to the development of the process of decay in its healthy part.

The process itself

Take out an orchid from a substrate. This is easier to do when the substrate is dry, i.e. it is undesirable to water it before the procedure.
After removing the plants from the substrate determine which roots rotand which are not. Rotting processes of brown color.
Finding rotting roots prepare clipping tool. It is treated with an alcohol solution so as not to bring the infection into the wound.
After preparing the tool cut off the problem area. If it is located at the bottom, only rot is removed. If the root is damaged at the base, cut it off completely. If you do not cut it off like this, the fungal disease will develop with renewed vigor, provoking a new wave of decay in healthy areas. Another reason for performing this action: the capillary flowing moisture from the environment enters the upper layers of the root damaged at the base, but the plant does not get it. Sooner or later, such a root dies anyway.
After clipping the problem area process cut points. Florists plant fungicide or make a manganese solution in a separate container and immerse an orchid in it for ten to fifteen minutes.
After processing the cut points put the bottom of the flower in a vitamin solution. Preparing it, take one liter of water and dilute in it one ampoule of vitamins B12, B1, B In it, keep it for 10-15 minutes. 2-3 months after this procedure, new roots appear.
Return the orchid to the potlaying a layer of drainage on the bottom and filling the voids with a new substrate.

How and how to properly process the flower after the procedure?

The cut location is a wound. It is a common cause of tissue drainage and a place through which pathogens can enter the orchid. Without processing it appropriately, the flower becomes sick and dies. When trimming, the cut point is treated with one of the following substances:

Pulverized charcoal (as an alternative - one tablet of activated carbon). This substance is used not only for treating wounds, but also for the bottom of cuttings that are being prepared for planting. It will be needed for preventive purposes: pouring it into a flower pot, prevent root decay in the future.
Moss sphagnum. It has bactericidal properties. It is an excellent anti-rot substance. Its use contributes to the rapid healing of wounds in plants. How to use? Touch the wound with crushed, finely chopped or rubbed moss through a sieve or place it in it, if conditions allow.
Potassium permanganate or zelenka. The root is not immersed in them, but simply touched it without pressure. These antiseptics have a strong effect. Therefore, the risk of repeated rotting is minimal.
Ground cinnamon - The best tool for dusting the places of cut and wounds on the roots of orchids.
Fungicide. It is not always used, but it stops the development of fungal diseases.

Reference! Vodka is not suitable for processing places of cuts on the roots of orchids. It contains alcohol, which, rising up the capillaries, drains healthy tissues.

When can’t this be done?

Orchid roots are never pruned if it blooms.
You can not trim healthy parts.

In either case, the orchid gets sick and dies due to shock.

Aftercare

Pruning the roots, as well as shortening the peduncle - stress for the flower. After it, the orchid is not disturbed for a while. Only after 60 days they look after her in the same way as before her. What care does she need?

Moderate watering as the substrate dries.
Spraying from a spray bottle of leaves and soil.
Not fertilizing. The flower should restore and replenish energy reserves in a natural way before the new period of vegetation.
Temperature. During the day, it should not be above +24, and at night - +16 degrees Celsius.
The location of the pot. When pruning the roots, remove it away from heating appliances and cover it with a matte film, preventing direct sunlight from entering.

Conclusion

Orchid roots, like dried flower stalks, are easy to prune. During the procedure, the grower must observe safety precautions. He must wear special clothes and gloves, and treat the place of cut and the tool with alcohol. Its task is not to touch a healthy root when removing rotting. Any inaccurate movement entails serious consequences: disease and the death of an orchid.