Repotting Phalaenopsis Orchid question

[Becca]

My rule of thumb is if it is a 3 inch pot or smaller, use a plastic pot or else they will dry out to fast. 4 inch pots or larger will not dry out quickly and will rot the roots, at least that is my experience.

And I agree with others, no Peat!

[Ray]

I think some of you are being a bit myopic, basing your recommendation on your own experience and conditions, without considering what others' might be.

"Chunky peat" is essentially densely-packed clumps of peat moss that hold their structural integrity quite well when used a a component in a mix. In use, they provide pockets of moisture retention and allow you to used a really "open" mix otherwise, which - depending upon your conditions and watering habits - can be ideal for phals (I have used 40% coarse bark, 20% each charcoal, spongerock, & chunky peat - all about 3/4"-1").

Also, because such a blend generally dries fairly rapidly while retaining those pockets of moisture, it is no issue to put the plant in a larger pot. With phals, for example, I typically shoot for a pot having a diameter about half of the leaf-spread of the plant, sometimes more.

[KathyKayserKonig]

Ok, so I repotted my wonderful plant and found that it had some sort of moss intwined in its roots and they are all yellowish looking. I took it out, repotted it in bark and left it alone. Now today two of the three leaves fell off. I dusted the "breaks" with cinnamon. Was this the correct thing to do? The third leaf seems to be hanging on rather poorly. Is this a lost cause or can an orchid live without leaves? My poor orchid. It seem this experiment is NOT going well....

PS. If this wasn't the place to put this I am sorry. Perhaps I should have made a new thread. Not sure. Sorry if I erred on that...

[Doc G]

I agree with peewee about clinging roots in terra cotta. I generally use round plastic. When plants are top heavy or you just want to look at something other than plastic, you can always slip it into a decorative pot as camouflage.

[Ray]

Kathy,

Depending upon how roughly the plant was treated during the repotting process, its condition when you did, and the difference in root zone conditions from the old medium the the new, a plant can go into a bit of a "shock".

Keep it warm, humid, and shady, and make sure the medium stays damp (should not be an issue if you presoaked it well), it will likely recover just fine.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by KathyKayserKonig

Ok, so I repotted my wonderful plant and found that it had some sort of moss intwined in its roots and they are all yellowish looking. I took it out, repotted it in bark and left it alone. Now today two of the three leaves fell off. I dusted the "breaks" with cinnamon. Was this the correct thing to do? The third leaf seems to be hanging on rather poorly. Is this a lost cause or can an orchid live without leaves? My poor orchid. It seem this experiment is NOT going well....

PS. If this wasn't the place to put this I am sorry. Perhaps I should have made a new thread. Not sure. Sorry if I erred on that...

Yellow roots are normal, as long as they are firm, since they are in the dark they don't have light to make them green. Bad roots are mushy hollow roots. When you repotted in bark, did you soak the bark overnight before hand? Fresh bark doesn't hold water very well, and soaking it helps a lot. If the leaves ( before falling off) have been looking wrinkled and limp since repotting, it may not have gotten enough water. If you didn't soak the bark, no need to unpot, just stick the entire pot in a bucket or the sink, fill with water until it's level with the top of the pot, and then leave it an hour or so.

[KathyKayserKonig]

Oh dear, I actually didn't soak the bark before potting. I am learning so much here! Will go put it in the sink right away. The leaves were quite mushy and wrinkly when I repotted and they just kind of pulled off. I thought was being careful but I guess I wasn't. We'll see what it looks like after it comes out of the sink. Thanks again everyone! You guys are the best!

[RosieC]

If the leaves were wrinkly and came away easily then they would have probably come off however careful you were while repotting so don't blame yourself on that.

I agree with the other advice you have got. Good luck.