How important are the roots of orchids?

Each orchid root has a number of important functions to perform. First of all, the roots adhere to your plants, wherever they grow.

In the case of an epiphytic orchid, once its roots adhere to the bark of the tree from which it grows or even to the clay surfaces of the pot it is growing from, it is often almost impossible to remove it.

The second function of the root is to give the flower the water and nourishing salt it needs.

The structure of the roots of the terrestrial orchid is quite simple to imagine. The root begins mainly at the bottom of the stem. The roots are generally thin, long, fibrous, and rarely branched. Sometimes, as in the cases of Paphiopedilums, the roots have dense hair, which allows them to absorb moisture from the smallest particles in their growing medium.

On the other hand, the roots of epiphytic orchids are much more complicated. But its roots serve a very good purpose, especially when the water supply is not constant and the amount of nutritious salt is insufficient.

The original characteristics of epiphytic roots are that they have a silver to gray color. This color is the result of what is called the canopy, which is generally made up of one or even several levels of epidermal cells. The canopy functions as a covering of the root system except for the short terminal point. The canopy absorbs moisture from the ambient atmosphere. Velamin is also considered to have the ability to protect roots from extreme weather changes.

The third and very surprising function of epiphytic roots is that they have the ability to photosynthesize on their own. With the other types of orchids, the roots depend on the photosynthesis function of the leaves. However, there are certain genera of orchids that do not have leaves, such as Campylocentrum. In this case, its roots are responsible for photosynthesis.

The roots of epiphytic or lithophytic orchids need a lot of air for them to function at their best. This is very important for orchid growers to understand because most orchids do not thrive because the process of how their roots absorb nutrients is not clearly understood. Therefore, the owners end up watering and its roots begin to rot, and eventually the orchid dies.

Generally, the state of health of the orchid is often reflected in the state of its roots. Therefore, if you are looking for the perfect orchid in an orchid store, you should thoroughly inspect the roots of the plant and its leaves to make sure that the orchid you will buy is fully healthy.