# Aerial roots ?



## reivilos (May 11, 2014)

For the past three years I've been growing paphs, I've killed quite a few.
Most would die in a matter of months, or even weeks. Leaves would fall one by one and the plant would wither. All no longer had good roots. They'd be either rotten or gooey.
I then started to repot systematically once I got the plants and realize *** many reknowned nurseries would sell me plants with crappy roots - even without roots - *** but with beautiful foliage.
I suspected low humidity (I grow indoors) would accelerate death and started putting doomed plants in closed bags after cutting any bad root. Plants would send roots after a few days.

A typical outcome (parnatanum, afer sitting in a bag for two months):






As you can see I'm faced with another issue since the roots grow in the air, but at least the plants have been saved.


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## Rick (May 11, 2014)

Humidity will go a long way to keeping foliage and roots going.

As for aerial roots, I grow lots of paphs and phrags in baskets which don't seem to have a lot of issues with exposed roots (but I try to maintain minimum humidity at 70%).

Switching to low K feeding and knocking the feeding rate down to low ppm rates has really accelerated root production in all my plants regardless of whether in pots baskets or mounts.

Getting new plants in often requires repotting and settling in to get good roots going.


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## Stone (May 11, 2014)

reivilos said:


> > A typical outcome (parnatanum, afer sitting in a bag for two months):
> 
> 
> 
> I have a plant in a bag doing that but luckily the rood decided to go down into the mix :clap:. I think its best to repot as soon as you suspect the root is going to go for a walk. But I guess you could now just let them get nice and long before you try to force them?


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## Stone (May 11, 2014)

Rick said:


> > Humidity will go a long way to keeping foliage and roots going.
> 
> 
> 
> I definitly have to get my humidity up next summer!


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## Ozpaph (May 11, 2014)

thats a good outcome - they love humidity


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## reivilos (Jul 3, 2014)

It looks like I've solved the aerial root issue .

Darling





Complex





F.C Puddle





The bag technique may look counter intuitive but it works.


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## Bob in Albany N.Y. (Jul 3, 2014)

Nice save. When you put the plant in the closed bag for two months is it still potted or just left in a container without your normal mix?


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## reivilos (Aug 19, 2014)

Bob in Albany said:


> Nice save. When you put the plant in the closed bag for two months is it still potted or just left in a container without your normal mix?


Still potted.

This little one likes it too:


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## NYEric (Aug 19, 2014)

Yep, I find the most common reason for loss of plants is the breakdown of media, killing the roots. Good saves.


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