Should I repot shifted Phal. Stuartiana?

[adlemsi]

I just received a Phal. Stuartiana orchid I bought on eBay. It looks really good! However, during shipping some of the medium shifted causing the plant to loosen. Should I unpot it and rearrange it in the original medium? I'd like to make sure the plant doesn't go through more stress than it has from shipping. Thanks in advance!

[snow]

it is always good to chack on the roots anyway; so now you have a good excuse to do so.
i always like to use my own medium.

[lindad3406]

Originally Posted by snow

it is always good to chack on the roots anyway; so now you have a good excuse to do so.
i always like to use my own medium.

What is your medium, Snow? I am looking for a good all round medium for Phals. I have some in Spag, some in coarse bark, some in medium bark and some in just in Hydroton without using S/H.

[Ray]

Linda, you have to consider the needs of the plants, all of the details of your growing conditions and the amount of watering you can, or are willing to do, then decide what is right for you. Unless others have exactly the same growing conditions and tendencies, what they use is of little value to you.

[adlemsi]

So I guess I'll repot this weekend. For the time being I added some support to the plant to keep it from leaning over. Only the aerial roots are above the medium. It's potted in a medium bark mix with a bit of moss on top. I removed the moss because I've had problems with plants in moss.

Are there any tips I should follow to repot this plant or should I just go ahead with the usual steps? Thanks!

[jkofferdahl]

I would look at the medium, and the condition of it, before deciding to repot. If the medium isn't broken down it's likely that repotting could cause more trouble than good. Medium can shift in shipping, of course, but you can tighten it back up by gently tamping it in. If some was lost, add a bit of fresh to fill the pot. You can also put a bamboo stake in the pot and carefully tie the plant to the stake so that it's steady rather than shaky. I like to take a conservative approach.

[quiltergal]

I prefer to repot. I have found that sometimes vendors put newer bark on top to make it look better but things down in the pot aren't so good.

I'm using CHC/perlite/charcoal with clear plastic slotted pots. The slotted pots tend to dry out quicker so that's one reason I prefer the CHC vs fir bark. It also doesn't break down as quickly as bark.

As Ray says you have to decide based on your conditions and watering habits what will work best for you.

[snow]

mine are all in s/h.

[adlemsi]

I'm planning of going s/h with two orchid compots I bought on eBay...when they're ready to be repotted, of course.

[adlemsi]

Today I took the Phal. Stuartiana out of its pot, after watering it thoroughly. The roots look great! I repotted in a clear slotted plastic pot since it was originally potted in a green plastic pot. I used the original bark mix because it was still good, but I topped it off with fresh medium bark mix to fill up the pot and give better support.

I will keep you posted on its progress.