roots: to dry, or not to dry

[cirillonb]

I've heard of allowing roots to dry if you have unpotted and are not ready to repot. The technique I got from a successful professional grower is to soak the roots for about 30 minutes in tepid water to which has been added Physan-20, a rooting enhancer (KLN or SuperThrive) and your fertilizer and then use this mix for the first watering that is used to settle the mix.
So far so good.
Nick

[Ethan]

What I do and what I have always read - is to give a good thorough soaking before 'unpotting' then repot (as the roots will be more pliable and have less damage during the transplant), then repot in dry medium, but don't water for a couple days so the roots can dry and heal any damage. It makes sense and seems to work for me. I'll be interested to see what other people think....

[Des]

Depending on what it is you are repotting counts a lot
I have never been in favor of letting roots dry out.
Roots rot for a reason and being wet is not one of the reasons
Rotten roots in the pot is not caused by too much water it is caused by media breakdown and bacterial and fungal infections. So if you are repotting it is always wise to soak both the plant and the media in some physan or sporekill for 30minutes before repotting .
If you have divided the plant then make sure you cover any cuts with sulphur
Hope this helps

[Ethan]

A second thought: if you don't water before unpotting, the roots are dry and stuck to the side of the pot - sometimes it's impossible to get them unstuck w/out soaking them. Pulling them off dry would seem to do a lot of damage.

[VickiC]

Good advice, everyone! Thanks for the tips! I plan to stick with the conventional method of NOT deliberately allowing roots to dry before repotting. As I've said, "Majority rules"
Vicki

[let_it_grow]

I have done it cause the Onc i was repotting was in dripping wet moss and who knows how long it was like that. I let it dry for a few hrs but the roots were still damp and pliable when i repotted it