Dendrobium roots

[tinkerbell138]

I recently bought a Dendrobium nobile and I noticed that the roots are growing out of the pot and sort of wrapping around the stalks. Is this normal? Can the roots be trained to grow differently? I touched one of the roots this morning and the tip of it fell off it was so dry. I water the plant every few days as needed, but since the roots are growing out of the pot should I be misting the roots? What is the best procedure for misting the roots? Anything else I should know about keeping the roots healthy?

[kid a]

what is your humidity like? Raising your humidity would probably help. You can put the plant on top of a tray of pebbles with water in it below the top of the pebbles to help raise humidity too.

[tinkerbell138]

I do use the pebble tray and according to the humidity gauge the humidity is in the "normal" range.

[made4engineering]

Root tips on orchids are often very delicate, with my experience. Roots are going to go wherever they want, and you can't control it. Raising the humidity won't make the root tips less brittle, but it will help give you a healthier plant in general. Misting the roots isnt necessary, but the plant will appreciate it.

[digitalgate]

with this much root. I leave it alone.

[jerrymeola]

Nobile roots are unlike other Dendrobium. They do not become as pot-bound as others and often grow around the pot on the surface of the medium.

It does not seem to effect how they grow whether you leave the roots like this or push them back into the pot. If you want to re-pot you will find the medium will come away from the roots easily. Then just form them into a ball and re-pot with them below the medium.

Yamamoto grows most of his to flowering size in 2 inch pots and it is common for there to be more roots outside the pot then within.

I would not worry about the way the plant is growing, but if you do not like the looks just re-pot.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

Yamamoto grows most of his to flowering size in 2 inch pots and it is common for there to be more roots outside the pot then within.

Speaking of Nobiles, Jerry...what about 3 in a 5" pot? Would you downsize? These are the Upin King I recently bought from you. It's making me feel uncomfortable, having all this room in the pot.

[jerrymeola]

Koichi of Yamamoto Dendrobium tried to talk me into potting them that way for three years. It is his recommended way to have the best display. If you look at the photos on his web site he notes that most photos are of triple plants.

I potted several of them this way like you did, and am waiting for the winter flowering season to see the results.

I potted them in 5 inch and 6 inch pots and do not see a problem with either. Since Nobile do not need to get as pot bound as other orchids and they do not seem to be easy to rot from over-water, the pot size is not as important as for other orchids.

I potted 3 Oriental Smiles in a six inch pot (the plants were a year older than the ones you received, and it throw a flower last week way out of season but a good sign that it is established. Potting 3 this size may make the plants too expensive so I am looking forward to see how much better they may look.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

Since Nobile do not need to get as pot bound as other orchids and they do not seem to be easy to rot from over-water, the pot size is not as important as for other orchids.

Good to know because I also added 2 more Oriental Smiles (that I got from you) to the one I have, also into a 5" pot. It's going to be a killer display, next year...can't wait!

[jerrymeola]

Remember Oriental Smiles is one of the last Nobile to bloom they very seldom put up flowers before March.