Green roots, is this okay?

[mswmom]

Two phals and a dendrobium -- roots are green. They are firm, not mushy, not brown, but not silver with a green tip -- all of the roots are light greenish. What does this mean? Plants look good. One of them had wilted, dark green leaves when I bought it (in full bloom) and it now has nice, stiff, lighter green leaves (still in full bloom).

I am REALLY new to orchids.

[Vivienne]

mswmom - it's AWESOME! Green and firm is exactly what we want on all our orchids. Never brown, black, or mushy.

CONGRATS! Keep doing what you're doing!

[kmarch]

Green roots are not only ok, but they're IDEAL! It means they're healthy. If they're all green it also probably means they are moist and that the outer layer of the roots is soaked up with moisture.

[mswmom]

Eeeeeeeeee!!!! I am so happy to hear that! Thank you!

[Vivienne]

mswmom - I'm a mom of a M.S.W. too.

[PhalPal]

Three cheers for mswmom!!! Green Roots! Yeah!

[kel80]

Originally Posted by PhalPal

Three cheers for mswmom!!! Green Roots! Yeah!

Yeah! That's awesome.

[arleneg]

Since your question was answered, I just want to say hello and welcome to the forum.

What does m.s.w. mean?

[boxerfan]

MSW is Master of Social Work. Welcome to the forum MSWmom, btw, I'm an MSW. Congrats on great green roots, they are the basis of healthy orchids. Lisa

[mswmom]

Originally Posted by boxerfan

MSW is Master of Social Work. Welcome to the forum MSWmom, btw, I'm an MSW. Congrats on great green roots, they are the basis of healthy orchids. Lisa

Nice to meet you, Lisa. I am a MSW who has been home with my daughter for nearly 5 years. I am going to go back to work in the fall when she starts Kindergarten. I am kind of nervous about it.

But, my orchids still have green roots!

[mswmom]

Originally Posted by arleneg

Since your question was answered, I just want to say hello and welcome to the forum.

What does m.s.w. mean?

Thank you. Yes, MSW stands for Master of Social Work.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Roots often turn green when they are wetted. If they are always green, it may be a light coating of algae, which is OK as long as it is only a light coating, and as long as they are well away from a water source like a wet pot of mix. I have a problem with algae growth on roots withing 1/2 inch of my pots, and the algae there is thick enough, almost black looking, to kill the velamen, but this does not always kill the root, as the core often remains alive and the end of the root continues to grow in the pot or in the air.