Managing growth

[Rhonda Svoboda]

I know this is a 'good' problem but I need some advise. I really got into orchid growing this past year and a half. I wasn't experienced enough in choosing orchids for their mature size and now I have a lot of orchids that need to be potted up.
I am running into the watering issue. Since so many of them are overgrown I need to water almost everyday.
I guess my question is- how I manage growth so that I have enough room for them and also keep them healthy.
I am thinking that some of this will depend on the hybrid/species. Is it okay to leave them in pots that are too small? some of them are so overgrown that the potting media is almost gone.
Thanks

[Dr. Dave 4u]

NICE PROBLEM!
Better thriving than dying!!

I'm a newbie on this forum so here is my amateur 2 cents...

I just had a huge Shary Baby to divide up and repot.
My dendrobiums went crazy..had to divide and repot
My Epidendrum grew tall and leggy due to my lack of great sun so I divided that up into 3 pots

Ones that you can divide up you should and repot with fresh mix.

Keep in mind I think except for Phalaenopsis most orchids in spike or bloom should not be repotted till the are done.

This would be a good time to explore various mixes and systems like SH etc...Myself, I'm an old school guy for now and so just mixed up a bark, charcoal, perlite chunk mix for repotting. For some I think like to stay a little more moist vs total drying out I included some chopped up sphagnum moss in the mix. But this is my personal experiment, may one here have much more years experience.

I also bought clear orchid pots from Repot company off amazon so not only can I watch the root growth but also provide more air circulation to the roots.
I'm trying to get my friends interested in starting an orchid hobby so I can off load some of my divisions of duplicates and triplicates !!!

Warning...advice from a newbie!!

[Roberta]

The simple solution... get a bigger house Since that is probably not practical, another approach...

When plant growth gets out of hand, consider dividing... and rehoming the extra divisions. Societies will be starting up in person soon (I hope!) and those are a good outlet for donations... share with your friends. Societies often have member-plant-sales events too, giving an opportunity to turn extra divisions into cash (to buy more orchids...)

Being somewhat potbound is really not a problem... most orchids do better underpotted than overpotted... A little stress may actually inspire them to bloom. (My Cyms seem to bloom best just before they break the pot) Just keep in mind, the time for potting and dividing is when there is new root growth. And you don't want small divisions... in general, a division should have at least three pseudobulbs, 5 is better. Too small and you'll have a weak plant. So unless the plant is a beast, consider just up-potting. The new pot should have room for about 2 years' new growth, no more.

[Rhonda Svoboda]

Thank You Roberta

[rbarata]

At a certain point, space starts to be a relevant issue. As relevant as humidity or temperature.
I started downsizing my collection, offering some larger plants. Since then, I buy mostly small plants.

[estación seca]

In a cold winter climate, if you have unused basement space, setting up a growing area with lights, humidification and heaters is probably a lot cheaper than building and heating a greenhouse.