Sunlight On Roots

[donkeymom]

I'm a newbie, with what may be a silly question.

I've seen several photos of orchids in clear containers. Some are growing in hydroponic clay balls. It seems to me this would let the sun shine on at least some of the roots. Is this harmful, helpful, or of no consequence to the plant?

I would also like to make a comment about this Forum. I Googled all over to learn about orchids. This Forum has been the best source of info and assistance I found anywhere. Thank you to the several members who have taken their time to reply to my questions. I hope the day will come when I will have some knowledge and experience so I can help another newbie.

[mayres]

A good portion of these orchids in the wild are clinging to the outside of trees, rocks, etc. and the roots are exposed to light. Of more consequence is probably humidity. Many of the orchids in the wild also grow in humid environments - where the roots can tap into the water supply through the moist air and surroundings. Likewise many greenhouses are kept humid. When these plants are brought into air conditioned homes and into other dry environments the roots exposed to the air often shrivel and die leaving only the roots "hiding" in moist media to survive.

Growers are finding that many plants seem to respond to light at their roots. As Mayers says, plants in the wild grow on trees or rocks. Because of this, many growers also grow their plants mounted on cuts of tree bark, or in open baskets so that light and air can reach the roots. This type of growing, however, requires a lot of care, such as daily watering. A plant growing in a pot doesn't require as much water. I find that plants do respond well to frosted pots. I have slowly been replacing my green plastic pots with clear pots, and I'm pleased with the results.

It's simply a matter of what you prefer.

[janet_a]

orchid roots contain chlorophyll--sunlight on them is just fine. the white coating (velamen) turns transparent when wet, exposing the green core.

as others have said, they hang around on trees* in the wild; we put them in pots for our convenience. clear pots would be nice, but i wouldn't switch your whole collection over to them just for the sake of doing it (like, all at once; you can do it as you regularly repot if the spirit moves you. nothing urgent). you also get some really nice algae growth inside clear pots.

*--rocks, bushes*, the bench in the greenhouse, the plastic housing of the light switch, the outside of some other plant's pot, wherever.

*--there was an article a while ago about a woman here in the states who went out and found an itty bitty plant growing in one of her shrubs; she let it be, and when it got big enough she realized it was an orchid. she checked around with some ag types and it turned out it was a seed that had drifted over here from someplace in africa or somewhere and had the good fortune to land in a bush owned by an orchid grower. i thought that was pretty cool.

[kmarch]

Dear Donkymom,

I would think that a little sunlight on the roots is somewhere in the "no consequence" to "helpful" range. As someone pointed out above, some types of orchid roots contain a bit of clorophyll which can make them look green. Where there's clorophyll and light, there's energy being generated for the plant.

If we look to how different kinds of orchids grow in nature, many of them are epiphytes which means they grow on other plants, mostly trees. They wrap their roots around tree branches and are often exposed. Phalaenopsis and Vandas both often have lots of roots exposed. Other orchids don't have exposed roots though. Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium roots grow into pockets of leaf litter and are usually not exposed to the light.

Growers like the clear pots for many reasons, one of which is the practicallity of being able to see inside the pot to tell if the plant needs watering. They're great pots but usually a little more expensive than opaque.

Happy Growing!

[gerneveyn]

Sometimes growers place the clear pots in opaque ones (usually clay) to prevent algal growth. The algae isn't really a problem unless it clogs the drainage holes that are on the sides of semi hydro clear pots.

[donkeymom]

Thank you for your responses.
It makes perfect sense that some sunlight doesn't hurt the roots.
I was considering the clear plastic containers because I could see some of the roots inside. I may place them inside a more decorative pot, while leaving room for air circulation.
The plants I am getting shouldn't require repotting for at least a year. So, I'll have plenty of time to decide.
We estimated my plants should arrive today. I've been watching for the mail all day.