I seem to be focusing on roots a lot. Maybe that’s because most people pot their plants or put the in slatted baskets so the roots are out of sight. Mine are as much a spectacle as the green part of the plant. I read that the velamen, the spongy, porous outer coating of orchid roots, provides an environment for various microbes such as fungi and bacteria. Just like in the human gut, these microbes help to break down and provide nutrients, as well as providing protection from pathogenic microbes that might otherwise threaten the plant.
All of this seems pretty important for plants that are stuck in trees without access to nutrients from the soil. It suggests that the orchid body is a type of ecosystem, very complex, and characterized by multiple organisms. So in a sense we can say the orchid is not alone. And when we see green stuff on the roots this suggests that at least in nature, the orchid is not an isolated, singular being. It is involved in numerous symbiotic relationships with various organisms.
It’s possible that none of this makes any difference for people who are growing their orchids to “perform.“ If performance is what you are after, I guess you just want to pump your orchid fall of nutrients so that it will produce the biggest, most colorful, showiest flowers. Kind of strange in my opinion that this goal might preclude the work orchids do in their natural surroundings. So is the flower that we are after still reflective of the orchid’s nature? And do we want that “perfect“ plant, free of browning leaves, with ungainly roots hidden, rather than a living creature performing in its own unique creatureness?
All of this seems pretty important for plants that are stuck in trees without access to nutrients from the soil. It suggests that the orchid body is a type of ecosystem, very complex, and characterized by multiple organisms. So in a sense we can say the orchid is not alone. And when we see green stuff on the roots this suggests that at least in nature, the orchid is not an isolated, singular being. It is involved in numerous symbiotic relationships with various organisms.
It’s possible that none of this makes any difference for people who are growing their orchids to “perform.“ If performance is what you are after, I guess you just want to pump your orchid fall of nutrients so that it will produce the biggest, most colorful, showiest flowers. Kind of strange in my opinion that this goal might preclude the work orchids do in their natural surroundings. So is the flower that we are after still reflective of the orchid’s nature? And do we want that “perfect“ plant, free of browning leaves, with ungainly roots hidden, rather than a living creature performing in its own unique creatureness?
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