Strange Root Behaviors (1)

The roots of both my phal cornu-cervi have been observed to be different from those of my other other phal species in many ways. Some of the roots are not attracted towards the medium; they grow almost parallel to the moss surface (without touching it) instead of growing towards it. Roots that have touched the sphagnum moss crawled along the moss surface instead of penetrating it and growing deeper into the medium. Furthermore, neither do they attach themselves to moss surface (they are hardly even in contact with the moss surface) nor flatten out upon touching the moss surface. The only root that penetrated the sphagnum moss layer exited immediately from the side of the basket and continued growing away from the basket.

In nurseries where they are grown in empty basket or mounted on logs without any media, well established phal cornu-cervi plants can easily have more than twice the number of roots as compared to other phal species. In addition, the proportion of these roots being free-hanging aerial roots can be much higher than that for other phal species. For plants mounted on logs, only a small minority of the roots actually attach themselves to the log and anchor the plant to the log. Roots attached to logs are not as flat as those for other phal species.

This may show that the roots of this species dislike growing in sphagnum moss. They may dislike growing in sphagnum moss for the crampness and perpetual moisture for extended periods of time. The roots may also prefer growing freely as aerial roots to growing attached to objects. Another possible reason is that the roots of my plants had been growing in air for too long before they touch the medium, hence becoming developed/specialized as aerial roots. Thus, they do not perform too well when they finally reach the medium.