Did I do do the right thing? - Orchid Board

Nanook 2010 · #1 09-19-2011, 09:55 PM

Advice Please!!

Bought a beautiful Onc "Sharry Baby" from Ebay (totally pleased).... and it came in a 6" plastic pot.

The plant was so root bound that when I removed it out of the pot, the pot was so clean I could have eaten out of it!!!

I put it into a 8" pot with new medium, but as I tried to loosen the roots, I was afraid I would damage them....the roots all looked great...clean and white and in the exact shape of the pot but very tight

Did I do the right thing?

Gage · #2 09-19-2011, 10:07 PM

What a great sized Sharry Baby! I do love the fragrance on this one. I would carefully remove all of the old medium by soaking the plant first, then alternating between prodding with a clean blunt stick (like a new chopstick) and heavy running water. Just take your time and you will be surprised at how it all comes out. Some roots will be damaged, but that is much better than the damage the old medium will cause as it decomposes. I just repotted an Oncidium and found the same thing, a mass of roots tightly shaped to the pot. See what others might say too. Good luck!

RJSquirrel · #3 09-19-2011, 10:11 PM

nanook you might have been a naughty eskimo but you didnt hurt the plant.

I would add most orchids like them too tight pots. The roots love contact with each other and being tight helps them retain moisture and humidity within the root mass in times of little water or drought.

Nanook 2010 · #4 09-19-2011, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gage

What a great sized Sharry Baby! I do love the fragrance on this one. I would carefully remove all of the old medium by soaking the plant first, then alternating between prodding with a clean blunt stick (like a new chopstick) and heavy running water. Just take your time and you will be surprised at how it all comes out. Some roots will be damaged, but that is much better than the damage the old medium will cause as it decomposes. I just repotted an Oncidium and found the same thing, a mass of roots tightly shaped to the pot. See what others might say too. Good luck!

Gage....great advice..but I actually didn't see any medium in the roots!!