Phal with droopy leaves

[mimigirl]

I hate to be goofy, but what is the test to tell? Some orchids have a root out of the pot that is grey and totally shrivelled with green growth at the end. So how do we tell?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Take the orchid out of the pot, wet the roots, and squeeze each root. If the roots are firm and/or they're green because of chlorophyll from the chloroplasts in their cells, (and they're green not because of algae - which you can also test for using what I dub the "gentle, slight rub test"), they're most likely alive. If they are brown/beige or black, and you can squeeze them easily, or if you pull on them gently, and the roots effortlessly crumble or slough off in your fingers, they're most likely dead. The reason why you squeeze and pull the roots gently is to test whether those brown or beige roots are alive and stained by tannins from the bark or if those brown or beige roots are truly dead.

Check for the roots inside the pot, do not just check for the roots you see outside of the pot.

[mimigirl]

King of orchid growing thank you for that explanation. Now i know what to look for and feel more confident

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Just for the heck of it. I'll show you guys the evidence that it is ok to repot an orchid even while it is in bud or in bloom as long as you don't do severe damage to the plant's root system.

This photo is of Masdevallia antonii. I got this one from Marni Turkel. Some of you guys here on the OB know who she is.

It was sold to me in spike/bud.

The package was received on Wednesday, 12/3/2014. It had been repotted the same day in the evening.

This photo was taken on Saturday, 12/6/2014 at 3:56 pm PST on my camera just days after being repotted.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Here is the same Masdevallia antonii in bloom.

This went in full bloom during the early morning hours of Wednesday, (12/10/2014), of this week.

I took this photo on my cell phone on Friday, 12/12/2014 at 6:47 pm PST.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Here is a shot of the entire Masdevallia.

The plants in the foreground are Disa tripetaloides.

The orchid on the left of the photo next to the Masdevallia is Pleurothallis grandiflora.

This photo was taken today, (12/14/2014), a few minutes ago, (around 4:22 pm PST, according to my cell phone).

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

This is what Marni had the Masdevallia potted in when I received it. I'm posting this not to knock Marni, (taking shots at a seller is not the point of this photo; she's a good seller with a good reputation, and I think she deserves it). The point of posting this pic is to show that this plant was definitely repotted. She did not send me the plant in the pot I have it in in the first photo. The pot I currently have the Masdevallia in shows very little wear, and that is because I just bought the pot and received it some time last week. The pot in this photo shows a lot of wear, (and algae), because this is the pot the orchid was potted in for a very long time. It had been potted in this pot for so long, that the longer roots went out of the holes in the bottom.

This photo was taken today, just minutes ago on my cell phone.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Next time I get a chance to, I will try to show another set of photos that demonstrates a repotting attempt with an orchid in bloom or in bud from start to finish. Hopefully it will show that as long as the plant does not receive a lot of damage to the roots, the repotted orchid will still stay in bud/bloom.

This time around, I didn't actually plan out a demonstration of repotting an orchid that was in bud or in bloom. That's why a photo of the plant in its previous pot is missing. I was only able to show you what the old pot looked like after-the-fact.

If I get an orchid that is in bud or spike that needs repotting in the future, I will plan out the photography better.

[mimigirl]

When i got it a few months ago in bloom, the clear pot showed algea so i repotted. Maybe i didnt check the roots well enough. I will do this tmrow. BTW that is a beautiful plant you have.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Thank you. It has got to be one of my favorite Masdevallias. This one is extremely fragrant!