We walk into a garden centre and stop in front of the fertiliser shelf. On the left are the mineral fertilisers: precise, businesslike, armed with tables, percentages and chemical symbols. They look as though they have come straight from a laboratory and might ask us to sign the test report at any moment. On the…
Tag: orchid roots
The Root Trilogy, Part II: Touching Moisture. How Does a Root Know Where Water Is Waiting?
You lean over the orchid and notice a young root pushing its glossy green tip out from between the leaves and holding it just beyond the rim of the pot. There is no path laid out in front of it: dry air on one side, damper bark on the other, the outer pot below, a…
The Root Trilogy, Part I: The Pharmacy at the Tip of the Root
Aerial roots of Phalaenopsis have a particular talent for causing anxiety. They climb out of the pot, creep across the windowsill, lean against the glass, catch on the curtain and sometimes head towards the neighbouring plant with the air of someone who has just decided to move house. The owner watches this for a while…
The Root Trilogy, Part III: The Secret Garden
When you look at the silvery root of a Phalaenopsis, what you see is… calm. The surface is dry, pale, almost clean. After watering, it turns green within seconds, then slowly fades back to silver. It is easy to imagine that you are looking at a simple covering: a botanical sponge that catches water, passes…