Specimen size orchids

[Plodde]

Any pictures anyone?

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by Plodde

Any pictures anyone?

Sure. This is not what I would call a specimen size of this plant. I think a specimen size would probably be as big as I am.

I'm happy to share pics of this Miltassia I mentioned though! This was taken after I first repotted it into the 7 inch pot. I repotted it in bloom, because the pot it had been in before cracked under the pressure of the roots. The roots were so compacted that I had a hard time teasing them apart and it took me the better part of two days to get all of the old media out of the root mass after the blooms dropped. What a mess that was.

This pic also includes two of my favorite photography subjects, for scale, of course.

[camille1585]

This is the largest (though not in absolute size) orchid I have. Onc Rosy Sunset, which I got as a single growth seedling back in early 2008. Never been divided. It's in a 13cm (about 5in) pot, and has at least 40-50 growths. It lives by the window at the office, where it gets plenty of sunshine. Last blooming it had about 15 spikes; the fragrance was wonderful! My colleagues really enjoy it

I don't know what I'm going to do when my Onc Sharry Baby gets to have this number of growths, since the bulbs and leaves are about twice as large as this one! Rosy Sunset is quite a compact growing plant.

[tucker85]

[Plodde]

They are all so beautiful!!
I LOVE the wooden basket look. I think it adds so much style to the plant.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Plodde

They are all so beautiful!!
I LOVE the wooden basket look. I think it adds so much style to the plant.

Yeah, trouble is, they look great, but the idea of repotting horrifies me.
This is what I'm trying this year

[Plodde]

Originally Posted by bil

Yeah, trouble is, they look great, but the idea of repotting horrifies me.
This is what I'm trying this year

I like where this is going. very cool idea.
I would be very interested to see what this looks like 5 years from now.
I have a couple of my Orchids ( cattleya, rhynchostylis) in wooden baskets with large chunks of bark. When they start to out grow those baskets I'm planning on just putting those baskets in bigger baskets. no repot no nothing. I know this sounds like a bad idea?.?.
what do you think?

[astrid]

Originally Posted by Plodde

I like where this is going. very cool idea.
I would be very interested to see what this looks like 5 years from now.
I have a couple of my Orchids ( cattleya, rhynchostylis) in wooden baskets with large chunks of bark. When they start to out grow those baskets I'm planning on just putting those baskets in bigger baskets. no repot no nothing. I know this sounds like a bad idea?.?.
what do you think?

I have read several times on this board that some people just take their super pot-bound orchids and do exactly that. They just take the orchid out of the old pot, put it in a slightly bigger pot, and fill the small gaps around it with new media. They all seem to have good success.

One reason this would be a good idea is that the roots would not get broken while you tried to get out all the old media.

One reason this would be a bad idea is if you did not pot the orchid yourself, you might be repotting with some weird sphagnum (or god knows what) in the middle. I would do a first repot and replace all the old media, and then just keep repotting every year or two in the way you suggested.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Plodde

I like where this is going. very cool idea.
I would be very interested to see what this looks like 5 years from now.
I have a couple of my Orchids ( cattleya, rhynchostylis) in wooden baskets with large chunks of bark. When they start to out grow those baskets I'm planning on just putting those baskets in bigger baskets. no repot no nothing. I know this sounds like a bad idea?.?.
what do you think?

Thank you. The idea of the trays is multiple. Firstly they have a shedload of space to grow in. Secondly, that means no repotting to disturb the rooots. Thirdly, if the medium breaks down, it can be removed easily, hoovered out or even washed out. Fourthly the medium is REALLY shallow. So, less risk of rotting roots, as they have plenty of space to breathe.
As you say, time will tell.

I too have heard the idea of putting the old basket inside a bigger one, and I REALLY don't like it one bit. Basically at the core, the roots will be further and further from the air, and that just isn't good for a fat root epiphyte.. Plus, the centre basket will be impossiblle to get old compacted media out.

[lotis146]

I don't have any specimen plants YET but I LOVE the idea of them. I certainly do not plan to divide if I don't have to. Of course I'm hoping by the time they become specimen plants I'll have a bigger house and/or greenhouse!

Btw, what determines a plant is 'specimen sized'?