Klara, that silver tint is called velamin. Older roots lose that color somewhat. When you water them thoroughly, that gray should all turn green. The roots actually have chlorophyll in them which provides the green color.
If your splitting is coming from dehydration then watering more and deeper into the pots might help.
But in a sales area, either in Home Depot or in an orchid business, those plants constantly get shuffled and moved around. Leaf tips get bumped and bruised and even damaged. Sellers will trim those ends.
