Why are there roots growing out of the top of my orchid plant? And why do they look dead?
Roots that grow above the surface of an orchid are called aerial roots and are not super attractive (in my opinion). They can look whitish grey and never seem to look super green like the roots that are buried.
It is easy to think they are dead or something is wrong with your orchid but this is just how they look. They are normal and healthy. In nature an orchid tries to grab onto the trees and shrubs around it – this is why they grow that way. Aerial roots also help with photosynthesis and they absorb moisture from the air. This helps the orchid produce healthy leaves, roots and blooms. For this reason they should NOT be cut off.
Note: it's easy to confuse an aerial root with a spike. Here is a link on the difference.
Burying aerial roots:
A ton of aerial roots is one sign that your orchids need to be repotted. Especially when they are super overgrown as shown in the pictures above. When orchids are this overgrown you should be able to bury some of them when you repot your orchid.
NOTE: You may not be able to bury all of them – some of mine are growing in between leaves and those I leave alone. Shown below…
Back to burying the other ones: When you do this you have to be extra careful not to break them off because they can be quite brittle.
When I go to repot and I need to bury aerial roots I soak the entire orchid in a bucket of water for a bit and the roots become a little more malleable so you can bury them. If you just force them then they WILL break off. And even though aerial roots can be ugly they still provide energy and sustenance to the orchid so I like to keep them. Once the roots are little more malleable you can gently guide them down into the pot and cover them with bark or moss. If one or two break then it's not the end of the world.
Feel free to leave questions or comments.
Hope that Helps,
Hannah
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Hi. I’ve had a phalaenopsis orchid in bark since May of 2015. It had gorgeous blooms for a couple of months. I have not been able to get it to rebloom. I cut the spike down and mistakenly cut off the aerial roots after that. I started fertilizing recently with a weak solution but I think I may have burned part of the roots. I can send a photo if it will be helpful. I’ve been moving it to a cool, dark spot every night for 2 weeks and watering once a week but still no spike. Please advise!
Will check email:)
I just bought a new orchid plant that already has flowers and buds, but a couple of my smaller buds are turning yellow and Shriveling up. The roots look over crowded and the ones on top are brown and dried. I’m tempting to repot it but I’m concerned if i do i will shock it or even worse kill it. Do i clip off the dying shriveled buds???? 😯😯😯😯
Hi,
That is called Bud Blast and can be caused my a myriad of things…
Bud Blast
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/bud-blast-2/
Make sure it’s potted in a singular pot (not two pots) with a drainage hole and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2015/09/06/orchid-disaster/
How to water
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
Only repot it if it’s in a container with no drainage. Or you can “drop pot” as shown above.
The buds will fall off on their own. You can clip them if you want.
Also orchids like being very snug in their pots.
You can always send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com. If you do please copy questions to that email.
Hannah
Hi! What happens if you break the tip off of an aerial root? I was inspecting the roots of my moth orchid and as you point it out they are quite sensetive since they are dyer then those in the pot. So the tip of the aerial root broke of. I know orchids can be sensetive to infections. I dabbed tiny amount of cinnamon on the broken tip. How common is it with root infections when you broke the tip off?
Hi,
I would not worry about that at all especially since you took extra care to put some cinnamon on it. The roots break and as long as you don’t already have some kind of infection it should be totally fine,
Hannah
Thank you very much Hannah! I’m so happy I found your awesome blog! I’m gonna try to learn as much as possible about orchid :)
You are welcome!
Hi,
Is it true that orchids shouldn’t be planted in a potting mix?! If not, then what should we plant them in?? Please, it’s urgent!
Thanks
Hi,
You need orchid specific mix. You don’t want to pot your orchids in regular potting soil. Just look for general orchid mix.
Hannah
Hi, thanks for the info. I have an urgent question, please.
I’ve recently got a phalaenopsis orchid as a gift. It still has flower buds that haven’t bloomed yet, but it’s pot is very small, and I can see a lot of aerial roots. It’s my first time I get an orchid, so I don’t know if there’s a difference between a root-bound orchid and an orchid with aerial roots. My question is: Shall I repot my orchid into a bigger pot and bury what I can bury, or shall I wait for the blooming to end and then repot it? Thank you
You never want to repot an orchid in bloom because the flowers could prematurely fall off.
Make sure it’s potted in a pot with a drainage hole and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
How to water
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
Hannah
I love your blog! My first orchid died from neglect, and my second orchid is doing better, thanks to your advice.
It gets southeast sun from two corner windows and is thriving. A second spike has grown recently, and a spike branching out from the first spike appeared almost overnight. (I will send you a photo.)
My question is about the aerial roots. How long should they be soaked in order to become malleable? And is the entire plant immersed? If so, how do you do that?
I recently repotted it from its original Trader Joe’s mini-pot, and should have chosen a larger pot. By the time I can repot again, it will probably be overgrown. Do you have any tips for coaxing the aerial roots to climb wood or other things?
Thanks again for your great blog!
Hi,
Do not repot it while it’s trying to bloom!! It could get bud blast because repotting shocks the orchid. You have to wait till its done blooming. Aerial roots can be ugly but you will have to deal with them till after :)
Bud Blast
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/bud-blast-2/
Hannah
Hello I just bought an orchid and the Ariel roots I accidently tried to push them down into the soil, and most of them just started to break. Do I just leave the rest of what’s left there or what??
Hi,
Aerial roots will break if you don’t soak them in water first. I only push them down when repotting them and after they become malleable from soaking in water.
I would leave yours alone. They may not look great but they are very normal.
Hannah
Hi there, I have a concern about my moth orchid, all is well, except that the roots that are showing at the surface are breaking. I’m not sure what to do about this :(
Hi Lesley,
You are welcome to send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com. Are they aerial roots? And do you have a cat or something that may be breaking them?
Hannah
HI, MY NAME IS STEVE AND I LIVE IN PHILA PA. HOW LONG IS THE DORMANCY PERIOD FOR THE AVERAGE?? THNX
Orchids don’t necessarily go dormant. Their active growing season is during the time they don’t have flowers. That’s when they grow new leaves and new roots. Typically orchids bloom once a year for a few months. So the active growing season is probably 3/4 of the year or maybe less.
Hannah
Hi there, I had to remove roots couple of weeks ago cos they were rotten due to fungal invasion. The roots were black and mushy. So I had to cut most of them and repot, hope that it will make it instead of leaving it to allow death. I left the two aerial roots as they are healthy.
Now leaves are getting droopy, even one of the petals starting to droop. I’m soaking the aerial roots in water now for a couple of hours as I starting to think that maybe e roots were either dead or too weak to do it’s job- not taking up water.
Mmmm what do you think? Can the orchid make it?
Hi,
I wouldn’t soak the orchid I would water it this way and make sure it has good drainage.
No Drainage
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
How to water
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
Hannah
ack! i should have read this first!! i just cut off an aerial root thinking it was dead…did i just damage my orchid??? :(
Hi Monica,
It’s ok it won’t kill the orchid or anything. Just don’t do it again :) those aerial roots are designed to grab onto trees and work with photosynthesis.
Best of luck,
Hannah
hi, my name is steve and I live in phila. pa. I am still learning about orchids and especially repotting them and how to care for aerial roots. I have received a lot of good info. from ur blogs!!!! more than other articles that I have been reading! I am relatively new to orchids and want to learn more,thnx steve
Hi Steve,
That’s great! Best of luck and let me know if I can’t help,
Hannah
Regarding aerial roots on my phal’s: the tips of the aerial roots on both of my orchids appear tan in color and are starting to shrivel up and shrink. What’s going on here? Could this be due to lack of humidity or something? The plants are otherwise looking pretty ok and are well hydrated. What should I do? Thanks in advance!
Anna,
It’s pretty normal for aerial roots to look ugly like this. If the rest of the orchid looks healthy then I am sure it’s fine.
Hannah
Hi: you have a fabulous blog and I am happy to have found someone who knows orchids. I rescued a phalaenopsis orchid growing in potting soil!!! It has no roots. I repotted it a week ago but did not bury the aerial roots in the soil. In addition to a few aerial roots it has a rapidly growing green shoot as pictured in your second photo on the page about aerial roots. Is there hope? When should I water it again as the bark medium is looking dry? Should I put it in the bathroom in the morning for it to enjoy our morning showers? Our bathroom faces south and I think that the March sun may be too intense, or is it? And 3rd, what is that shoot or root as you have pictured?
Hi Dorothy,
You said your orchid has no roots? Does it literally not have any roots at all? What about aerial roots? An orchid can’t survive without roots and/or leaves.
The shoot is either a root or a bloom stem…
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/difference-between-a-root-and-a-spike/
You can send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com and I could tell you which.
You only want to water it once it’s very dry as shown here… https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
You also want it near a window that has dapple sunlight. Not direct sunlight. I don’t like to move orchids around. I find one place they are happy and keep them there.
Hannah
Hi Hannah: Thank you for your reply. It has a few funky aerial roots on top. Should I try and push it into the orchid mix? The particular shoot I am referring to is a lovely green. Thank you Dorothy
Sorry Hannah: I meant that I can position an aerial root into the mix. Is that the right thing to do? Dorothy
Yes but you need to soak them first so they are malleable. If you push them in without soaking them first they will break off. Do they not have roots underneath?
Hannah
Hi Hannah: It has no roots underneath. Just 4 aerial roots, one of which is short enough for me to easily bury in the pot. Dorothy
Ok well hopefully it will grow some more roots. Best of luck!
Hannah
Hi I have a phalanopsis orchid and all the roots have rotted can I cut the ariel roots shorter and put the orchid into a pot with coconut husk in.
Hi,
I would not cut the Ariel roots. You can soak them to become more malleable and then pot them but if it is already low on roots then I wouldn’t cut off more,
Hannah
Hi Hannah I soaked the roots which did not work properly they did not become as pliable as I would have liked. To get it in to the pot right so it was central and not on one side of the pot I trimed most of the ariel roots. Thank you for your advice.
Hi,
My orchid has been dormant in growing. my son pruned it like most other plants one day- cutting off all the leaves and dry roots. We now have only one very tiny aerial root. What should i do? I don’t want to give up on my orchid! please help.
H
Hi,
Your son cut off all the leaves and roots?
Orchids can’t survive without leaves or roots as shown here… https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/orchid-leaves-all-gone/
Orchids leaves should only be cut off if they about to fall off and completely yellow and roots should only be cut off if they are black and rotting.
Orchids roots tend to look dead when they are not as shown in the above post that you commented on.
Hannah
I love the aerial roots!
Fantastic!! You have EVERYTHING here!
Hello, one of my orchids has had no spike for a few years yet continues to make leaves. Why is this? Love all your info.
Hi,
I would love to help!
Can you send me a picture? At myfirstorchid@gmail.com
If not we can try to figure it out here.
Hannah
Is it ok to transplant at any time, have aerial roots, main stem done blooming…
Adrienne,
You can do it year round:) But once your orchids are on a schedule then you would want to repot once they go out of bloom. For me that is Spring/Summer.
Hannah
Glad I just read this post too! I was thinking I needed to repot and BURY those aerial roots! Whew! Crises averted for my orchid.
Thanks for the amazing information!
Totally following and reading your blog!! Excellent!
Hi,
You actually can bury some of them – I updated the blog entry to reflect this. Sorry for the confusion,
Hannah
I bought an orchid from wholefoods (on sale). My first orchid so didn’t know what to look for before I bought it. Anyway brought it home and saw that the aerial roots were shriveled and black. I cut the dead parts off with a scissor that I decontaminated first. Looks ok now after two weeks but have experienced bud blast. Is it related?
Sally,
Hi! Bud blast can be from any number of things. I have a link on this.
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/bud-blast-2/
Bud blast would not be from the roots looking like this but more likely for the same reason the roots looked like this. Meaning whatever causes one probably caused the other.
Hannah
My Orchid seems to have died, after transplanting the orchid into new orchid potting soil. The leaves turned yellow, dropped off. Treated with cinnamon spice but I see no new grouwth. I have placed the orchid in my bathroom for the steam from showering and taking a bath.What has gone wrong. How much time do I give to grow, I live in the Western Cape, South Africa
Thanking you
Tersia
Hi,
If there are no leaves at all then you can not save it. Orchids can not live without leaves.
I am so sorry.
Hannah
hi, my orchid doesn’t have a problem with the aerial roots but with the roots that are buried, the beginning of the roots are yellow but the further down you go they are green, is that normal ? do i have to cut them ? the ends are black. thank you in advance. Bruno
Hi,
You should only cut black rotting roots and only the part that is black and rotting. Never cut a green/white/yellowish root. Orchids can’t survive without roots and leaves – so I never like to over cut them.
Hope that helps,
Hannah