root damage

[waynelam83]

I hope I can get some advice from all the expert here.
I have had my phalaenopsis for almost 7 months. It has an enormous health root system outgrown from the bottom holes of its 5" plastic pot. As the orchid was in bloom in the past few months, I did not want to change its pot to avoid from flower blast. Now that its blooming season is over, I want to switch it into larger pot and let it heal for next season. Will it cause any issue/concern if I cuts come of the healthy roots off that are stucked at the bottom of pot holes. I will have to either break the pot or damage the root in order to get it out. And the reason I don't want to break the pot is because I want to reuse it for my other smaller, but also outgrown phalaenopsis, after sterilized with bleach.
So, Should I break the pot or cut the roots? if I cut the roots, what actions do I need take to avoid virus infection, such as covering wound with cinnamon or drying out the wound for few days?

[tucker85]

Cutting the roots won't hurt the plant. I don't treat the cuts at all but if you want to use cinnamon that would fine also. Clean and sterilize the blades on whatever you use to cut the roots. That ensures that you don't transfer some disease from a plant that you cut previously. Soak the plant in water for a while before removing it from the pot. That allows the roots to come out more easily.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'm from the school of not cutting healthy roots from plants, even if the root system is large.

There will be some root damage during the process of repotting when a plant has an overgrown root system and it needs repotting. It is better to keep damage minimal, imo, than to intentionally cut off healthy roots and risk setting the plant back for any length of time. You never know how the plant will heal. Maybe some roots will heal at the site of the cut. Perhaps some of the roots will not heal at all and die off completely. The middle ground would be that some of the root cells will die at the site of the cut on up to about, maybe, 2" - 3", and the rest of the roots will still be alive. Sometimes, the roots will be ok and not be diseased at the site of the cut. Other times, they may get diseased at the site of the cut no matter what precautions you take. It is really hard to say what your plant's outcome will be.

However, what you end up doing is up to you. As long as you know what kinds of possible results you get from performing a certain action are, it is at your discretion.

As far as Phals go, I don't dare mess around with cutting roots on them. Some of them can be pretty finicky.

[nenella]

I would prefer to cut the pot and disturb the roots the least possible. Personally I would also make sure it is in a pot which is a snug fit for the roots. In my experience they grow better than if put into a too big a pot.
Good Luck! let us know what you decide & post pics!

[Leafmite]

I always try to avoid hurting the roots, too. The wounds open the way for bacteria and fungus to enter. If you must cut the roots, it is best to let them dry so that the wounds might heal over before watering. Or, to treat with something to prevent infection. I am not a fan of using cinnamon on the roots as it can actually harm them. I usually cut the pots. New pots are relatively cheap and easy to find...unless you want to use the clear ones. But you can always buy clear containers for storing food and poke a few holes to solve that problem. Of course, this can be a pain. But, there are many different opinions. Good luck with the repotting! Let us know what you decided to do!

[Phalchid]

I have had phals with roots that grew throughthe holes in the bottom, and I did not want to cut a clear pot. I gently pushed the root through the bottom up, but have broken the tips of a few in the process. No harm done to any of my phals, though! Do what you think is best! Good luck!

[The Orchid Boy]

I have the same situation but I don't want to ruin a nice clear pot. It has filled the pot with roots and is pushing itself out of the pot and will crack the pot if I don't repot it soon. I'm just going to cut a few roots because most phals grow roots like crazy.