Should I repot when in bloom?

[katesgrey]

My NOID phal orchid is in bloom but is very rootbound and has bad fungus attacking the roots. She is small and so beautiful I got her from a grocery store. The fungus seems to get worse day by day. Should I cut off the blooms and repot or leave them on or wait till its done blooming?? Also the new pot is accidentally too big, about 5 inches when the orchid is currently in a 2.5 inch pot. Will that be ok or do I need to order a smaller one? Thank you very much!

[3rdMaestro]

If it was me, I would repot and treat the roots. You can leave the blooms, the plant will decide what to do with them. In my opinion, its better to save the plant and lose the blooms than the other way around

[katesgrey]

Ok thank you! What is the best antifungal to use? I have tea tree oil I could dilute but should I order something better? Is a 5 inch pot too big if the orchid is in a 2.5 inch now? Thank you

[3rdMaestro]

Not sure on tea tree oil? Someone a bit more experienced than me should be along soon to answer that one. I've used powdered cinnamon for my roots in the past, as it has anti-fungal properties. Perhaps one of the other guys knows of something more appropriate?

As to the pot, yeah that's a bit big it seems. Usually i only go up pot size by about 1 inch (1.5 if it has a lot of roots)

[Diane56Victor]

Powered cinnamon, while being good for cuts would have a drying effect on the roots so DONT use that on roots that are already under stress.

Wait for someone from USA to give product idea, sorry I dont know of products in USA.

[estación seca]

Not enough information. Don't do anything yet.

Why do you think there is fungus on the roots?

What medium is it potted in now? What are your ambient temperatures day/night? How have you been watering it? What medium do you want to put it into?

Don't put it into a 5" pot. It is likely you can put it into a 2.5" or 3" pot.

Cinnamon damages roots. Hydrogen peroxide damages roots. I don't know about tea tree oil, but I want to be sure you truly have fungus before suggesting you treat for root fungus. I think it's not likely unless your relative humidity is very high, your temperatures are low and/or the medium has no air spaces.

[Shadeflower]

cinnamon, why gardeners use it and the evidence to support its use:

Cinnamon - Does it Stop Damping Off in Seedlings? - Garden Myths

[katesgrey]

Thank u for all the replies! It's currently in sphagnum moss. The medium is tightly packed and there's little air space. The roots continue to become black and shriveled, with mold spores appearing in places. Even the previously healthy roots are turning black. This is why I believe it has fungus. The room is usually between 70 to 75 high and maybe 65 at the lowest. It is a western facing window.

When I got it the roots looked mostly healthy except for a little cramped. I waited to water until they were white and the moss was totally dry. I have had it a month and only watered maybe 3 times just a tiny amount of water enough to wet the roots.

I have to admit I panicked from seeing a couple fungus gnats, and went ahead and reported it today. The pot is too big but I felt like it was losing its healthy roots very quickly. I hope I didn't make a major mistake. I cut off the dead and black roots and it was left with 4 or 5 decent healthy ones. I reported into new sphagnum and a 4 inch pot diameter (it was in a 1.5 inch diamter)

Any more advice is appreciated I will be getting the 3 inch pots in the mail in a week or so. But I know another reporting might not be a good idea. I realize I might have made a mistake putting it in the too-big pot but like I said I panicked since it was getting more black and worse on the roots and fungus gnats were the last straw...

---------- Post added at 01:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 PM ----------

I should say it WAS in tightly packed sphagnum before I panicked and reported into new sphagnum and pot that is prob too big

[katesgrey]

This is a pic of my orchid in the new pot. You can see it is big but HOPEFULLY it will be ok? Or should I wait till I get the 3 inch pots In the mail and repot again? Thank you

[Roberta]

I think that it looks OK. If the moss is fairly loose, it will maintain air around the roots and dry out readily - desirable! When you water, use enough volume so that it runs out of the pot - that tends to flush assorted "crud" and also pull air into the root zone. As the water evaporates it is replace by air... also good. The goal is "humid air" in the root zone. The caveat about "too large pot" comes from tendency of the center of the pot to stay wet. One trick that could help if that is an issue - you could gently pull the whole thing (plant and moss) out of the pot, clear out some of the moss in the middle, and place a small plastic pot or basket there. You'll be filling that volume with air (a little "pocket"), reducing the tendency for too much water staying in that area.