Should I repot this orchid?

[Diamond Maverick]

That was one of my first thoughts, lol. I can't seem to find a basket big enough for both pot and plant though. I'm loathe to get rid of the pot and break up the roots - I don't want to upset this happy plant (which is currently throwing out roots from what looks to me like old roots - the same area as the last picture I posted).

[metalop1g]

Last time I went to wal-mart to see if they had fresh orchids for me to experiment on, I stumbled on a basket like that. It could be a cheap and easy solution. You could poke the cocoa fiber and pass some roots through, see if they'd grow in it.

It would definately be easier for your grandchildrens to tear the cocoa fiber than to break your actual concrete pot!

[learning2letgo]

I'm just flabbergasted by this wonderful specimen orchid you have in your possession!!! And to mention its sentimental value is beyond words.

If I could make a suggestion to you, I would say why fix something that's not broken? I would consider repotting in a larger pot and forget about trying to get the plant away from its original container. But then again IF I were you, I might try turning this beauty into a hanging basket. Get creative and use your noodle. You never know what you can come up with Best wishes in your venture. I'm sure you'll think of something great!

[metalop1g]

What about the decaying media? It might be the time to change the cement pot for something a little more practical. But if you don't think about the decaying media, I agree it's heartbreaking to separate this beauty from it's original pot

[Diamond Maverick]

metalop: I saw that basket at Wal-Mart... it didn't look big enough for the orchid, lol. And I am the grandchild

learning2letgo: Thank you! I was considering leaving it in the pot and just putting it in a larger one...

metalop: The orchid has been in that pot for decads; I don't recall my grandfather ever repotting it (or any of his other orchids for that matter!) I've included some pictures; the last one is the best pic I could get of the 'medium', which has led me to believe that the orchid is actually planted in the kind of gravel used to line pathways, and not traditional orchid medium. It is also covered in debris from the tree under which it had previously sat.

As said before, the orchid is now throwing out roots like crazy, so I've included some pics... I didn't water it before I took the pictures (the first set of pics was the orchid after watering). These were taken today.













http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...20Stuff/07.png

[metalop1g]

Right I totally agree now. I never actually realized how big of a root mass it had. Looks like this orchid might live for even more generations. Do you have pictures of the flowers, or an ID? Now, if gravel is inside the pot, that's perfect. This lack of material or exceptionnal forward thinking your grandfather had is saving you a lot of trouble.

[Diamond Maverick]

Makes me wonder if I shouldn't just plant my orchids in gravel from now on! (lol)

No ID... none of my grandfather's orchids have identification... I did find some pictures of the plant in bloom. Not a lot, I'm sorry to say.

<- super blurry, the orchid is actually in the background of an already blurry photo, hence the small size of the photo.