phalaenopsis repot or not

[Phal_NooB]

hi all
I have a question about repotting phalaenopsis.
Normally repotting is done when
- roots grow out of the pot
- bark or other is old
- roots are rotten
- ?
My phals seem to be ok. They are not in bloom anymore but no root rotting, old bark or roots growing out of the pot but there are alot of roots so my question is should I repot?
They are now in a 11cm pot, (I repotting is best should I go to 12cm or larger)

phal NooB

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Not yet. Let it grow new root tips first, then wait another season to pot up 1/2" or 1".

If the new root growth is not significant enough but the media is breaking down, just repot into the same sized pot.

[Paul Mc]

Aerial roots are common with phal's, so that's not really a big deal. That being said, it appears that your bark is breaking down a bit as I can see what looks like dirt on the roots (especially on the last picture). Likewise, it appears to be a bit root heavy in the pot, but I'm not a good judge at this. I understand that phal's don't want to have a lot of extra space, but to me it looks like there are a lot of healthy roots in there for the size.

My thought would be to repot in an inch up sized pot, just because the medium appears to be decomposing a bit.

I'd wait for others to respond though to see what they have to say before doing so. Again, I'm not the best judge on the repotting issue yet.

[Zoi2]

Your plants look healthy and happy.
For my 2 cents: I'd wait to repot until spring and some new root growth. When you repot, you'll have to clean up any dead roots which may or may not allow you to use the same size pots.
Joann

[RosieC]

I would wait until spring. I don't think those look desperate to repot, but the medium looks more broken down than I personally like so I would repot in the spring when it's warmer and new growth is likely to be iminent.

If you can fit it back in the same pot then do that, other wise probably just go up one size.

[Daethen]

Unless you are using Miracle Grow Orchid Medium I would say that it is breaking down but I would wait until spring or at least new root growth.

[camille1585]

Since it doesn't urgently need repotting I would also wait for the spring. If you're in need of a good medium, The garden center where I live i the Netherlands (in Wageningen) sells 10L bags of bark that are the perfect grade for most orchids. The brand is Naturado (and says 'Boomschors Excellent' on it) and the bag is brown/purple/clear. I've used that since moving here over 2 years ago, and I'm quite happy with it.

Daethen, we don't have Miracle Grow orchid medium over here, but plenty of other crappy mixes!

[Paul Mc]

In regards to Miracle Grow Orchid medium being used, I personally wouldn't suggest using it. It tends to be a bit heavier than I would personally like (not allowing for the roots to breathe adequately) and breaks down fast. I would use bark, sphag, perlite, or a mixture of them or of some similar sort.

Just thought I'd put that out there in case you were considering repotting in Miracle Gro Orchid Mix. I have had really bad results with it in regards to my phals. They work great on terrestrial orchids though, such as the Phaius and Ludisia. Honestly, I almost lost three of my phal's when I was using Miracle Gro mix for them. One is still recovering a year later, lol...

[Phal_NooB]

Thanks alot for all the suggestions. I will wait until spring for some fresh bark. I'm still a bit struggling about the pot size but I will find out when I repot I guess.
@Camille: thanks about the tip Naturado (Boomschors Excellent). I already re-potted another phal with bark of a well known brand but it looked a bit like dirt, not like bark should look I guess.

[biomechorchid]

I need to re-pot one of my orchids in the spring, too....I've never re-potted before, do you automatically go up a pot size or ? How do you know whether to go up a size or not?

And regarding the soil, I see bark recommended a lot. What kind of bark? Thanks!