Best practices for bringing new orchids into your home?

[DrDawn]

Hi All!

My collection was previously small and mostly acquired locally, but now I'm branching out! I've started doing more mail-order of orchids to get things that I can't find close to home (and being confined to home due to the pandemic).

So, with that in mind, what are some "best practices" that I should be following when I receive orchids by mail? I'm pretty adept at unpacking carefully (that was my favorite job growing up when my dad ordered plants!) but I'm not sure what I should be looking for when I inspect? I look at roots/leaves/etc for bugs/damage? And then should I isolate everything for some time? Or only if it looks suspect? (I only have one small growing area, so isolation would mean non-ideal conditions). Is it good practice to repot soon after receiving things? What sorts of disinfectants should I have on hand to treat various issues? (I already have bleach and Neem oil, anything else?)

I've got a few orders coming in the next week or so (finger crossed!) so hoping to get some good plans in place that I can use to make sure I keep my little orchid collection happy and healthy! Thanks!