New phal - pot up a size or two, or not?? - Orchid Board

camille1585 · #1 01-30-2008, 02:43 PM

I got a really pretty yellow multiflora NOID for my b-day 2 weeks ago, and I'm not too sure if I need to pot up a size (or a few!) when I repot it when it finished blooming! Right now it's in an 11cm pot. Should I leave it in there, or go up to a 12 or 13-14cm pot? When I repot my other phals, I never have that problem since they clearly can be put right back in the same pot. I've never seen such a monsterous root system before on a phal. I'm ordering clear pots soon, so I want to get some of the right size for this guy!

Neverend · #2 01-31-2008, 09:12 AM

Pot it in a bigger pot, let it grow wild and it'll bloom wildly for you in the future

cupcake · #3 01-31-2008, 03:01 PM

Great root system!

Gwenchanter · #4 01-31-2008, 08:32 PM

I had a phal in a smallish pot for a while in sphag. Then I repotted it in a huge pot with a bark-type medium instead of sphag and it went nuts with flowers the next winter.

Also, I watered it with Miracle-Gro diluted so you could barely see that the water was blue and that seemed to make it happy too.

CoolPhrog · #5 01-31-2008, 11:01 PM

I have a white phal that has roots like that too...it's in spike now and is growing another spike ON the main spike but nothing has bloomed yet.

dave b · #6 02-01-2008, 12:32 AM

I believe the smallest upgrade you can get away with is always best. Orchids thrive when their root systems are securely attached or established in pots or on mounts. Until the plant is firmly secured, they will typically not bloom/grow to their potential, sometimes not at all. Severe overpotting is double trouble. Takes too long for the plant to get established, and can lead to dead zones in the potting medium. This can lead to rotting of the medium and increased problems of many sorts.

camille1585 · #7 02-01-2008, 07:37 PM

Thanks for all your answers! So I guess I'll repot in a pot only 1-2 cm wider. I wasn't sure if phals can tolerate overpotting or not. I guess it also depends on the state of the roots in the center of the pot. Looks like I can expect lots and lots of flowers again next year and right now it has 3 spikes with a total of 48 flowers!