Orchids killing off their old roots – myth or reality?
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For today we have a pretty unconventional topic: why do Cattleya orchids constantly lose healthy roots when repotted?
Well here is my 2 cents: Cattleyas in particular, but not only, tend to give up the roots that are older, maybe more damaged and maybe less adapted to a new way of growth intentionally. They will conserve energy and actually feed the new root system that appears on the new canes. This is just my theory.
Along the time I did notice that no matter how much I make sure not to damage the older roots, they will die off eventually no matter what. For this reason I chose to cut most Cattleya roots and let the orchid fill the pot with a brand new root system.
Now if you don;t agree with this or are not ok with cutting viable roots, just don;t 🙂 but keep this idea in the back of your mind and keep an eye on the freshly repotted Cattleyas and orchids that used to have a ton of roots 😉
