Does my den need repotting?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

There's no way to check without disturbing it in your case.

A "shortcut" would be to look at whether there are any growing root tips and try to keep those healthy.

This only ensures that you have a chance of keeping the plant healthy enough until you feel comfortable to do the repotting and really see what's going on with the roots inside the pot.

It doesn't guarantee that the mass of roots in the pot are doing well.

I'd recommend a clear plastic pot when you do repot, that way you have a better idea of what's going on without having to pull the plant out of the pot most of the times when you check (it's another "shortcut"). While you will be able to see the roots that hug the inner lining of the pot, there's no guarantee of knowing exactly what's happening with the roots in the middle of the pot should any problems come up.

Normally, I'd say, go ahead and repot and check the roots right away (particularly if you just purchased the plant), but Dens can be a bit touchy because of how easy it is to do damage to the roots (as you can see the roots are thin). With these, it's probably best to wait until they're actively growing root tips.

Remember - if you wet the roots, they become more pliable, are more easy to remove from the surface of the pot (still have to be careful), and are less prone to damage during repotting.

IDK, my would be to wait until you see new root growth with your Den. Ultimately it's your decision whether you want to repot now or not.

[natasha]

for me i found the best way is to repot, after the plant finish flowering and new pseudobulbs with roots come out - but not too long root. i take out all the previous potting material and replace with new. as for pots, better to have small pot, but a heavy claypot does better since dens can be top heavy. i like claypots with holes!

oh yeah, the claypot there looks good enough to use. just tear the plastic pot to get your plant out...

[Call_Me_Bob]

so, in the event that i did repot and in the event that i need to get a bigger pot, i could use the clay pot on the outside? the plastic pot it really thick, so i would not be able to tear it, how else would i get it out? do you even think i need to repot?

[orchid-flowers]

This type of Dendrobium responds well to be a bit under potted. It is very good for its roots to get dry quickly after watering.
I wouldn’t recommend repotting it now that a spike has begun to grow. There is no rush. Repot it after flowering, after you see that new growth has started and it is already about an inch long.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You most likely will not need to go up in pot size when you repot.

[WhiteRabbit]

Usually a soak will help loosen up the plant making it easier to remove from the pot. It can be potted into a clay pot - I have a few Dens in clay pots. Media will dry a bit faster than in plastic. It can also be more difficult to remove the plant from a clay pot after it's grown in it for while. But again a good soak helps, and I have used the blunt edge of a table knife after soaking the plant, to gently loosen roots from the pot. I do damage a few roots, but have with plastic pots too. So it's just a matter of which you prefer. I do have one quite tall Den in a plastic pot, and is very top-heavy - so just have it set inside a ceramic pot.

[Call_Me_Bob]

Omg!!! The spikes are all at Least two times bigger thantye pics now. I took the pics two days ago!! There us one fairly new psuedobulb, it is almost five inches long but has lots of new roots coming off of it.

Is there any way to propagate from the old p- bulbs? I saw somewhere online that they were divided and keikis came off of them

[Orchid126]

In looking at the bloom spikes, they don't look like they're coming from the tips of the canes like den phal types do. Where are the spikes coming from? If it's from up an down the canes, then it's a nobile. It could also be another type of den, as there are many.

Be careful after bloom when you repot. As Natasha and Marco say, better to have a small pot. Dens like very tight shoes and bloom better that way.

After blooming they take a short rest then enter their main growing season and then want lots of light, water and fertilizer. In the fall slow down on all three.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Yeah, you can do the whole propagating from old canes thing, but to be honest with you, I'd concern myself with what you've got now rather than tinker around with that.

There is still plenty of room for error with just the plant you've got, let alone having to gamble with propagation via old cane cuttings.

As with everything in life, not every cutting will produce a keiki. In fact, don't be surprised if all of the cuttings don't produce a single keiki. Should there be some keikis, not every one of them will survive. And of those that survive, not every one will reach maturity. In the end, you might still be ahead. That's just how things go.

In this case, you have to consider, at what cost? Are you willing to cut up your Den that seems to be doing alright right now, for the gamble that you might have more (if this is what you're intending)?

If you don't intend on cutting up the Den that you're talking about now, then just know that producing keikis from back canes is possible. The trick is that they've gotta still have some juice in them.

[Call_Me_Bob]

I'm definately not thinking about cutting up this den, just curious.

The spike are not coming from the top. It looks as if spike did once come from the top and were cut back, butthese are definately coming from the side.