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Old 01-28-2008, 10:39 PM
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brookn brookn is offline
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Nancy, I would leave it in the bark the way it is. Those roots if they are the only ones on the plant may rot if covered, if that is even possible because of the way they are growing. Once the leaves wrinkle, they sometimes will always have the wrinkles until the plant grows new leaves. I have a fairly large phal that has a root growing straight up and I think it looks pretty cool. If I were to repot it I would have to cover the entire plant in medium to cover the root. You can make the roots more pliable by soaking them, but bending them too much will damage the root, making it a vector for infection or fungus. My arial roots get watered when the plant needs watering, as I do not mist Phals for fear of the water pooling and causing crown rot. This does not seem to effect the arial roots at all and they are still growing dramatically, and are very healthy.
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"If nature ever showed her playfulness in the formation of plants, this is visible in the most striking way among the orchids. They take on the form of little birds, of lizards, of insects, a man, a woman, sometimes like a clown who excites our laughter. They represent the image of a lazy tortoise, a melancholy toad, an agile, ever-chattering monkey. Nature has formed orchid flowers in such a way that, unless they make us laugh, they surely excite our greatest admiration." Jacob Breynius
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