Phal repot...I don't like Spaghum; I prefer fir

[pedidiva]

Hi~~

Bought some really pretty phals at Lowe's on the discount isle (one pink, one white with purple polka dots). I bought 2 "plants", but actually each pot had 2 plants in it. So 4 for the reduced price of 1!

Well, they all still have blooms on, but the pot was draining so S-L-O-W-L-Y. I decide to repot--I know that it's not the "correct" time. Finally am able to get the poor things out of the pot & the poor roots are totally squished with spaghum moss. YUCK.

So repotted with the fir mix. Much happier. better drainage. I know that they'll "shock" a bit. In the long run, I believe that they'll be much healthier.

Pedi

[camille1585]

Nice score getting so many 'free' phals!
I never understood why american commercial growers pot all their orchids in tightly packed sphag. Root rot is nearly always guaranteed if you don't be careful with water or repot. Me too I prefer bark, but luckily mostly everything sold in Europe is in bark. I like sphag mainly for small pots that have lots of slits in the sides for air flow. For instance I have some little phal keikis and some minis in sphag and they're really liking it.

[PinkCloud]

Sometimes the orchids I've bought from discount isle's have just been crying for an intervention! You might loose some blooms faster and maybe some buds will fall off without opening (this is called bud-blast) but probably in the long run the plant will be happy with the change of environment. Enjoy your blooms!

[Vanda lover]

What is worse is that some growers sell them is decorative pots that have no drainage! I have to wonder if they want people's orchids to die, so that they will buy more.

[silken]

I just bought a Phal at Walmart today too White with purple blotches, I couldn't resist it! I lifted it out of it's pot and dug out about 1/2 of the tightly packed sphag. I left the rest in there but much looser. When it is done blooming I will re-pot in bark. In the meantime I hope its OK as is, getting more air now.

[Vanda lover]

I like mine in sphag, but with holes in the pot and styrofoam peanuts for drainage. I find it easy to tell when it needs watering this way, though I have recently started using the bambo stick trick.

[silken]

I actually have a few loosely potted in sphag with a few bits of bark or leica balls and they do great. I think its when it is packed solid and drenched with water that's its a big problem.

[Vanda lover]

Right! A lot of people don't like sphag at all, but if it is loose and you have proper drainage, I find it works fine.

[Val]

In such situation, isn't it adviceable to refrain from watering for 7-10 days, to give the roots time to heal any wounds?

I'm a beginner, so I'm taking this opportunity to check whether what I've learned (and I would have done in such situation) is correct.

[silken]

Usually when you re-pot, in soaked bark or moistened and squeezed moss etc. You should wait a week or more and give the roots a chance to heal in a drier environment so mold or fungus doesn't start in a cut or broken end of a root and also to encourage it to grow more roots looking for water.