Questions on repotting a new phalaenopsis and bud blast

[cassie.g]

Hello!

I'm a brand new orchid owner. I've had my Phalaenopsis Snowball for about a week and I'm very excited about it! It's currently sitting in a south facing window. I've got it set on a humidity tray. I haven't watered much since it's still in its original pot which is packed with sphagnum (another issue I'll discuss later in the post).

I made a few mistakes when I first moved the orchid into my dorm room. I wasn't giving it enough light at first so the end of the flower spikes were wilting and the two mature blossoms wilted. That's since been corrected and I think the plant is doing somewhat better. However I am experiencing signs of bud blast. Several of the buds are wilting and yellowing. Other smaller buds have been turning a reddish color. One bud, however, is opening so I'm a little bit hopeful, but I'm not really sure what to do.

Also, the orchid is potted in only sphagnum moss. I was planning on repotting once the blossoms fell, but I've since done more reading which suggests repotting right away if the orchid was bought potted in just sphagnum. If anyone could give me suggestions here about if I should repot and then what to do with the spike, that would be wonderful.

Any feed back would be very much appreciated! I just want it to live!

Thanks!

[LoveOscar]

I am new also, and I have three newly purchased orchids that are all in spag. moss. I am under the impression to leave them in spag (but be very careful not to over water!) until all of the blooms are done, THEN repot it. That is what I plan to do with mine. I have no idea about the bud blast though, but I am interested in others answers on the topic.

Good luck!

[cassie.g]

Here are some photos of the phal. I took earlier today

https://www.flickr.com/photos/121104927@N08/

---------- Post added at 07:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

Thank you for the feedback! That was the impression I originally got as well, but I'm still a little confused. Hopefully we'll get some more answers soon!

[james mickelso]

You can repot it now without losing any buds or flowers. Just do it very carefully. The reason is that by the time it finishes flowering there may be much more damage to the roots and the phal will be set back too far to flower next season. I posted a picture sequence last week of a phal that went from packed sphagnum moss into loosely potted sphagnum moss and the flowering didn't skip a beat. It looks very good. It's at my sisters right now so I can't take a pic. Sorry. I'll pot up a few more this weekend for you so keep watching. Yours looks ok. The reddish colored buds are blasting. they turn red, shrivel, and then fall off. My guess is too much water in that packed sphagnum moss. I let mine dry completely before watering sparingly again.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Repotting a Phal in bud/flower is generally not a problem. They rarely blast because of the repotting itself.

There are numerous reasons for bud blast, but one of the more common ones during repotting would be root damage. If you don't damage too many roots, the Phal should be ok to be repotted while it is in bud/flower.

1 or 2 slightly damaged roots is usually not a big deal. Anything more than 2 and the odds start increasing.

Phal hybrids are one of the least sensitive orchids in regards to issues with bud blast as a result of repotting.

[cassie.g]

Thank you for the advice, everyone! I repotted the phal. this morning into a mixed bark medium I soaked overnight in an orchid pot. Most of the roots had some degree of rot and most had to be snipped off fairly close to the top, but there were still a few healthy ones. We'll see if the blooms last, but if they don't I'm not too concerned. I'd rather have a healthy plant with no blooms than a blooming plant that's dying. I'll wait for the medium to dry before I start watering. Hopefully all goes well! Thank you all again.

[lexusnexus]

A few questions for you. Where did you purchase your phal? Someone who knows about orchids? I purchased 2 from Waldor's at the Philly Flower Show a few weeks ago and have subsequently called them about repotting, and potting medium. They said they sold theirs in pots large enough so no replanting would be required for a year or two. Are you in that position? They also said that sphagnum was their medium (loosely packed) for phals.

[Highland Fashionista]

Hi Cassie, I'm a newbie too, but thought I'd weigh in because I lost my first one from rot by not taking action soon enough. Despite everything you read about not repotting when the plant is in flower, unless you can absolutely be certain that your roots are intact, I would repot. I'm completely echoing what the two esteemed senior members here are saying I suppose. If you got the phal at a grocery store or even a nursery that isn't orchid-specific, there is very likely a bit of rot going on. When I get a grocery store rescue, the first thin I do is repot. I've never lost one from repotting, but I have from not repotting, and letting pre-existing rot get out of control.

That's a beautiful white phal by the way...

[cassie.g]

Thanks for the advice! I got the orchid from a local nursery but they are not orchid specific. I did end up repotting the phal into a bark mix in an orchid pot. Most of the roots did have some rotting so quite a few were cut back, but I'm still very optimistic! Most of the buds are blasting but it looks like one or two, plus the one that's opening, might hang on. We'll see how it works!

Thank you! I do think it's very lovely.

[lexusnexus]

Cool...