Repotting and advice for new arrivals (Catts, Den, Vandas, others) - Orchid Board

ice-nine · #1 01-24-2025, 08:07 PM

Hello

, been reading the forum for a few months and I really appreciate all the information!

I have received a birthday gift of several orchids, but I have no experience and almost no knowledge of any of them (I only had hardy grocery store phals). So while I'm very happy I'm also kind of worried.

The plants are 2 small vanda coeruleas, a tiny Cattl. intermedia aquinii, a Rlc. Haw Yuan Gold, a Den. kingianum, a Coel cristata, a phal laotica marmroata and a tiny mounted phal lindenii.

All of these (except the mounted lindenii) were in opaque plastic pots. I repotted the phal laotica and it was in great condition - fresh bark, no plug, no dead roots, no pests.

I would really like to get them all in clear plastic pots at least, so I can see the roots. From what I've read Cattleyas especially are sensitive to repots and would need to be timed correctly? As to the Vandas, I'm not sure what media to choose - they are in bark covered with moss now, but I thought they'd prefer something more airy? I usually see them bare root or in vases. And the Den. has flower buds, I'm not sure if a repot would stress it

I'll try to post pictures of them and I would really appreciate any advice on what to do with them. Should I trust that the media is good and wait for a better period to repot? Some extra information, indoor temps are about 21-22C, maybe a bit lower at night. I also have kelpak, hopefully that helps with poorly-timed repots.

And lastly, would any of them do well in semi hydro? I've transitioned 3 phals to SH about a month ago and I really like this growing method so far. I was thinking maybe the Rlc or Den, or even the tiny Cattleya - but I'm so afraid it'd kill them

TLDR: Is it a bad idea to move these to clear plastic pots and bark right now? (if so, which ones?) Would any do well in semi hydro?

Aaand one last question, about the mounted phal. In low ambient humidity, would misting the roots a few times per day plus a weekly weak fertilizer soak suffice, or should I pot it? Most roots are kind of flat, but it has one new pretty fat root growing into the moss right now

Apologies for the 1000 questions. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Waterdog111 · #2 Yesterday, 05:29 AM

I think you made a fine intrance to our forum and some decent questions also. First off I would say that all actions you take with your new plants should be thought out well beforehand. Especially repotting as anything can stress out an orchid and put you on the wrong path with it. I think one of the first things that I read about and was interested in was aqua culture or simi. If you go to Rays site he has a lot of info on different important aspects such as roots that should be considered. When you learn about these things it will help a lot in your choices.
Good luck and pleasant journeys with your orchids!

Roberta · #3 Yesterday, 12:03 PM

First, Welcome!

The ideal time to repot is when new roots are just starting. Catts do tend to be seasonal. Others, like Phals and Paphs, really don't care because they're rooting all the time.

As for misting the roots of the mouted Phal, that should work fine. They aren't that fragile. If you do pot it, use a very coarse medium. (You want humid air in the root zone, but not constant wetness... if hit has been growing mounted, even more so - it is accustomed to some drying.

I will leave it to others to advise on semi-hydro, many of the Board participants use that approach very successfully.