repotting very large root bound cymbidiums.

[james mickelso]

I'll try to make sense of what this describes and hope the pics do a better job of explaining. I divided and repotted two cymbidiums today that have been neglected for far too long. One was last repotted in 1995. The other at least 6 or 7 years. Most of the oldest pbulbs had died and the roots were very tangled and most dead. The media in the pot was almost non-existent and there were lots of earthworms. But both flowered every year with very nice blooms. Names of these are unknown. I've had both since I started growing orchids in the 70's. I've been dabbling in orchids for a long time. Never put much effort into them. If I found one in a trashcan or dumpster I would get it out and try to get it to bloom. No I don't dumpster dive. Usually they were left by the dumpster for anyone to take. Anyway here is my method. Well one of them at least. I have lots of different methods depending on the condition of the plants. The pics will be from the beginning to the finished pot. Hope they make sense. I don't know how to write stuff, put in some pics, and then write some more. Here goes. This is what the roots looked like when I took it out of the pot. Mostly dead. The live roots are all around the very outside of the root ball. First I clean all the old sheath material off the pbulbs. This is where I see how many new eye buds there are. Then I start to cut off the old dead mushy or hollow roots. Most of these live roots aren't necessary to the health of the plant. These are all mature pbulbs and they have all the starches, sugars, and water they can hold. The function of these older pbulbs is to supply food and water to the new growth as those new growths have no roots to absorb nutrition and water. Once I get all the roots untangled and cleaned of old root material, I prepare the pot (I take a lot of time searching through the root mass cutting out what isn't necessary and trying to get out all the old media). One of the divisions I wanted to pot into a large pot so it can stay there for a couple years and it is a prolific grower. So I put a lot of broken pottery in the bottom to take up room. I used nothing but large bark. I like large coarse potting media so I can water more often without the inner portion of the pot staying wet. That way I can also fertilize more often. When I am ready to put the potting mix in I hold the plant up at the height I want it to be when finished and pour in the mix. I tap the side of the pot all around to settle the mix around the roots. It's not necessary to get mix into every nook and cranny. Pore spaces are ok. These aren't terrestrial plants. I place the plant so as to have as much room for the new growth to grow into. Once the cym divisions are potted I put them in a cool dry place and don't water until the next day or even two days later. I want the plant to heal all the damage I've inflicted upon it so there is less chance of getting any fungus/bacteria into it's system. So..,. I hope this stimulates questions and comments. I've used these methods for years and have lost few cyms. They push lots of new growth and flower next season. Here's the pics.