Bought my first Orchid On-Line, HELP!

[Ducky87]

After searching for a long time, I finally found the Orchid I've been searching for. I ordered a Mini Mark 'Holm' from SeattleOrchid.com.However, for spending the right amount of money I also received for free a Paphiopedilum Maudiae. My only real question so far is will I need to re-pot these when I get them? or should I wait a year? any advice? What's the best way to tell if a plant needs to be re-potted upon receiving it?

I just want to be prepared!

Thanks all!

[Amanda L]

I always repot to make sure the roots are in good condition. If they aren't and you wait you risk losing the plant. Sometimes I wait a long time, just because I'm lazy sometimes, that never really has a happy ending. Some plants, even from a reputable grower, can have bad roots. Plus, you can put them in a pot that you like. I prefer clear plastic, so I can see when they need to be watered and monitor root growth.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Ugh...

You got me with Paphs...

Phals I can help you with. Paphs not so much.

In either case, it's probably a good idea to check the media for your Phal and repot if you see any kind of dirt-like debris (with bark). If your Phal is in moss, it might be a very good idea to switch to bark.


Paphs...oh Paphs..., where to begin...

Paph Maudiae is a complex hybrid. I don't know jack diddly about how to get you through a jam with Paphs. Sorry.

But I do know a few things about them...

I do know that it has a sparse root system. The roots are most likely brown or beige and hairy. Each root is probably not very long. When repotting be careful to not damage any of those roots, or it will be absolute hell getting them to re-root. A lot of Paphs are slow growing, both for the leaves and the roots.

It is most likely a semi-terrestrial rather than a 100% true terrestrial.

[sailortom2]

i have always been impressed with the orchids that i received from seattle orchids...i believe that most of theirs are grown under lights the one you bought is on my want list...being from tacoma i would recommend going to their store...if in bloom i would wait to repot

[quiltergal]

You can repot a Paph any time. They actually rather enjoy it. They should be repotted annually anyway.

Phillip the roots on all of my Paphs are just as long as any of my Phals. They look quite different as you mentioned. Most will look brown or orange and fuzzy. The growing tips will be almost white rather than bright green like most orchids.

I do as Amanda does and repot any new plants right away. I do it so I know what I'm dealing with and don't have any nasty surprises down the road.

[RosieC]

I would repot. My Phal Maudiae almost lost all of it's roots in the months after I got it because the medium looked fine on the top but was really broken down inside a black pot.

Roots on mine are very sparce but then as I said I almost lost them all and it's had to start from scratch. It has done much better since repotting and grown some nice new ones.

It's important to note what Philip said about Paph root colour. If you were't used to them you might panic because they are brown and hairy with white tips rather than green/white like phal roots. They should be firm, so that's the way to tell if they are healthy.

I grow mine in about the same conditions as my Phals (and it's rebloomed for me). I water a bit more often, but they are in very tiny pots so dry quite quickly. I try and water when they have just dried and not leave them dry for too long.

[Ducky87]

Thank you for all the amazing information everybody! I appriciate it very much. I also got a phone call BACK from Seattleorchids.com and am very please that they called because most people don't call back after leaving a message. I was told that majority of there Orchids have been in there current medium for about a year, and so should be good for another year. though I will be inspecting them upon arrival just to make sure!