When and IF I should repot a large Phal ?

[krienschmidt]

Hi all, I have this large Phal. with A LOT of air roots. I repotted her last spring, the pot she was in was crammed full of roots. She seems to be growing in leaps and bounds and I'm wondering at what point do I stop trying to find a bigger pot and just let her be, if ever? I saw one youtube video where the person chopped off half of the phals roots and put her back in the same pot. I was rather horrified!

[bil]

Originally Posted by krienschmidt

Hi all, I have this large Phal. with A LOT of air roots. I repotted her last spring, the pot she was in was crammed full of roots. She seems to be growing in leaps and bounds and I'm wondering at what point do I stop trying to find a bigger pot and just let her be, if ever? I saw one youtube video where the person chopped off half of the phals roots and put her back in the same pot. I was rather horrified!

Yeah, me too. I'd repot in a bigger pot, not too deep
and pot in 2" bark only. That way there is no fear of overwatering.

[bil]

Pot size for a phal any other orchid is purely down to personal preference and medium type. I don't think you can say there is a correct pot size.

I have never yet seen any justification or need for small pots, except that of space requirements.

Phals can be grown with no pot at all.

[krienschmidt]

Thanks everyone. Her air roots are awesome, no shriveling, nice silver with green tips. I'm sure I can leave her in this pot till next fall but will be on a quest for a larger "food storage container" . I guess I could use a regular plastic flower pot and put holes in that too but I like to see the roots. May have to go that route down the road. Definitely no chopping.

[bil]

Originally Posted by krienschmidt

Thanks everyone. Her air roots are awesome, no shriveling, nice silver with green tips. I'm sure I can leave her in this pot till next fall but will be on a quest for a larger "food storage container" . I guess I could use a regular plastic flower pot and put holes in that too but I like to see the roots. May have to go that route down the road. Definitely no chopping.

Try looking for bulb pans. Like I say, potted in one of those with 2" bark, most watering problems disappear and the roots have room to spread out.

[Leisurely]

Just a reminder. Plants that have aerial roots don't like to have their roots put into a pot. They ususally die and rot.

[theanalyst]

I have a similar orchid. I haven't repotted fully in a couple years, but I did add more medium to the top as it began to break down. The aerial roots are good, so I just left mine as it is, which is what I would recommend for you. :-)

[bil]

Originally Posted by theanalyst

I have a similar orchid. I haven't repotted fully in a couple years, but I did add more medium to the top as it began to break down. The aerial roots are good, so I just left mine as it is, which is what I would recommend for you. :-)

I really wouldn't recommend just topping up the medium. Every year or two, or three, you should repot completely, depending of how badly the medium is breaking down. If that broken down medium blocks the air cavities in the medium, the roots will die and rot. They REALLY need easy passage of air thru the medium.