Is this a beginners mistake or a good deal?

[tryingtoflower]

Like the rest of you I'm hopelessly addicted to orchids. I usually buy inexpensive, no ID plants to learn how to grow a particular genus before dropping the big bucks on a plant from a well known grower. Today I bought a plant that had been marked down after blooming at a nursery nearby. It is a very large zygo and so root bound I had to cut it out of the plastic pot that was filled with roots. It had to be repotted in the largest pot I could find in order to contain its roots. Took me the entire day to untangle those roots. Was buying this plant a beginners mistake or a deal at $10? Do you think it will survive the trauma ? I bought two militonias last time I was there for the same price and dread repotting them now. They too are large plants. Should I walk away from root bound plants?

[silken]

For $10 I don't see how you can go wrong. And to me, root bound is preferable to root rot! Just give it proper care and you will likely be rewarded with gorgeous blooms. You have the advantage of large, well rooted plants and that will work in your favour too.

[hanzy08]

That is a steal for $10 bucks! I would have grabbed it myself. Just read on the care infos available everywhere and you should be fine. I hate repotting oncidiums. untangling the media from the roots is not fun!! The last time i repotted an oncidium, I was so frustrated, i stopped halfway and just shoved it in a bigger pot and added moss lol. It didn't seem to mind.

[tryingtoflower]

Thank you so much. I hope I don't kill them. I've been researching culture for them all day. Most of the plants I can afford are years from blooming size and so this was so tempting. I'm glad I didn't make a huge mistake.

---------- Post added at 08:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:24 PM ----------

This plant was like a scary Steven King movie. I still can't tell you what it was potted in. How can the roots look so good in those conditions?

[RandomGemini]

What silken said is right. For 10$ you can't beat it. I picked up my miltassia shelob 'tolkien' in similar condition and the darned thing has 5 spikes on it now after being repotted into the largest pot I own. Next size up, will require a special order from the internet, or possibly a bucket. LOL!

But this plant is awesome. It's almost as big as my Labradors and the flowers are show-stoppingly beautiful (it's my favorite of the spider orchids, can you tell?). I was debating on dividing it, but now I think I will just see how big it can get and divide it if it stops doing as well as it's doing now.

Great find!

[tryingtoflower]

. All their plants come with no tags so we'll see what it becomes. It's just thrilling to try something new. Hearing from you gives me confidence.

[snowflake311]

I don't know how you Deal with root bound plants but what I do is SOAK them. When trying to detangle I will dunk and swish the roots in a bucket. This helps a lot. Wet roots are much easier to move and untangle.

So keep on buying fixer uppers. Personally I love photos. How big of a plant are we talking I love to see.

---------- Post added at 08:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:24 PM ----------

Originally Posted by tryingtoflower

Thank you so much. I hope I don't kill them. I've been researching culture for them all day. Most of the plants I can afford are years from blooming size and so this was so tempting. I'm glad I didn't make a huge mistake.

---------- Post added at 08:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:24 PM ----------

This plant was like a scary Steven King movie. I still can't tell you what it was potted in. How can the roots look so good in those conditions?

I find these larger plants are potted in a peat moss mix. The reason the roots are in good shape is because the plants don't get watered much or at all when they are in this mix. It's when they come home and we over water problems happen over time. Most people don't know what the orchid needs to live a long happy life. So if they are left in this peat mix for a year or more the roots will rot.

orchids are hardly watered at the store so the peat moss works during this temporary store stays.

[gngrhill]

Silken and Snowflake are spot on. that plant should do well for you. waiting to see pictures

[tryingtoflower]

I'll try and post some photos soon. Thanks again to you all.