Slimline Den phal repot.

[bil]

OK, I am always saying 'Go shallow' when it comes to media, and people always say the same thing. Either they can't buy a shallow pot, which is sadly true almost anywhere, -- no one seems to sell really shallow dishes, or else they can't make them because not everyone has a workshop or can handle power tools.

So what to do?

Well, I noticed that one of my Den phals was throwing new shoots, and since it has been at least two years since they were potted (in fine bark, less than 3" deep, the pots were made by cut and shutting two pots. Diameter of pot getting on for 12")

Now, these grow so tall, there is no question. Pot them in something smaller, they will fall over every time you look at them.

OK, I could just repot in the same pot, but I wanted to come up with something that is simple, and within the remit of anyone out there. So here it is.

The 'pot' is made from a square of plywood 12" x 12" and has a strip of wooden batten screwed and glued under the top edge to give the whole thing a slight slope to aid drainage. I then made two marks to show where 2 suitable canes on the orchid would go when it was placed, and I drilled two holes there, and stuck two thin pieces of bamboo in the holes and glued them in.

Reason was, the bamboo is nice and natural, it gives very strong anchorage until the roots take over, it is more rot resistant than using the support stakes you get with orchids, and, when the plant has anchored, if you wish, the bamboos can be cut off with secateurs.

[bil]

OK.. next step, remove the plant from the pot, remove the medium from the roots and position the plant on the new stand.

First off, I was very impressed with the roots. They filled the pot in a solid disc, and it took a long while too get the bark out and tease out as much of the bark as possible.

One advantage of these shallow pots is that the root mass was very open, it really didn't need repotting and there was very little sign of bark breakdown.

[bil]

I then tied two of the canes to the support bamboo, trimmed any roots that hung over the edges, and then packed moss round the edge, tucking it into the roots where possible, and then covered the roots with a thin layer.

I shall be interested to see how well this works. It will mean a bit more watering, as this will dry out more, but it will be easy to check, as a quick touch of the moss tells all.

Best of all, it does look more natural to me, (crazy as it is sitting on a lump of plywood) but see what you think.

This kind of support could be extended to other plants like Catasetum, and that might make root observation more simple.