I've repotted. How much wait time? - Orchid Board

Raindroppedbows · #1 03-02-2008, 08:08 PM

I received an orchid as a gift last April. It has seemingly survived in my bedroom with incredibly intermittent watering. It had 8 blooms before it they all fell off so I know it's a hardy plant. It also has four leaves and it looks like maybe a new leaf in the center. My mom (argh) cut off the long stem claiming it was dead. It looked dead, but I was wary of cutting it off before I got more information. After the shock of her cutting my plant, I decided to go ahead with the repot that I knew it needed. I got a bigger pot and followed the instructions on the Orchid mix and then covered the top roots with the Orchid moss. I feel pretty confident that I did okay with it although I usually have brown thumbs. Now my true question is: How can I be sure it isn't dead or going to die from repot shock? Will a new stem come from where the old one was / is? How long will it probably be before I get blooms again?

quiltergal · #2 03-02-2008, 08:20 PM

In my experience Phals seem to really appreciate a repot with new mix. It sounds like you did all the right things. Don't worry too much about your mom cutting the spike. True it might have bloomed again off the same spike, but you'd have fewer and smaller flowers. I'm in the camp that prefers to cut spikes back when they are finished blooming and allow the plant to spend it's energy growing new roots and leaves. You probably won't see a new spike until next winter. Cool night temps trigger new spike growth. Keep an eye on your plant for now and if the new leaf continues to grow and you see it putting out new roots you'll know it's doing fine.

Raindroppedbows · #3 03-02-2008, 10:32 PM

With the way I've repotted the plant, should I be checking the roots? I removed the soft, dead, brown ones, and tried to really make sure I only left behind the white and green pieces.

Also, I keep my room a chilly 65 degrees.

I love the cold and I live in southern South Carolina where it's quite hot almost year round! Do you still suppose I'll have to wait a year for new blooms?

Becca · #4 03-02-2008, 11:24 PM

Hi! Can you post a picture so we can see what kind of 'chid it is, or does it have a tag with and ID? We can then tell you what is best for it. But I think Terry is right, it sounds as though you have done what is best for it! Good luck!

phalaephila · #5 03-03-2008, 01:20 AM

If it is a phalaenopsis, you may want to find a warmer spot for your plant. Do you keep the temp at 65 day and night? I find phals grow best with a 10 - 15 degree temp difference between day and nighttime temps, and you really don't want to get too much colder than 58 - 60 at night. This temp difference will also be important to initiate a new flower spike. Also, what kind of light is your plant getting? Enjoy growing,

jeanne

Gwenchanter · #6 03-03-2008, 01:22 AM

If it's a Phalaenopsis you will probably have to wait another year if your mom cut off the inforescence spike.
Thats not such a bad thing though because It might start growing leaves now which is fun to watch too! AND it will put out a more spectacular bloom next year which will last several months.

As far as being able to tell if the repot is ok... don't worry it sounds like you did a good job. After the flowers die and you repot is when the plant will start growing new roots and leaves. You should begin fertilizing now to get good growth duing the growing season!

Raindroppedbows · #7 03-03-2008, 08:56 AM

Becca: there was not a tag, and I'm horrible with photography and my camera is not of good quality. I'm pretty sure it's the Phal. type everyone is mentioning.

Phalaephila: I could probably initiate changes in temp. I do sometimes turn the AC off during the day but it is always on at night. The plant gets light from my room (incandesent?) and it's on the East side of the room so I imagine a fair amount of sunlight filters in to it as well.

Gwenchanter: Which type of fertilizer would you recommend? I bought everything at Lowes that had the word "Orchid" on it and it was just two things for planting.

(..._...) · #8 03-03-2008, 03:36 PM

I re- pot my phals even while in bloom sometimes ( not that you should do that, but it shows how much they can put up with!).

I find phals perk up after being re- potted!

The new flower spike will come up from in between the next two leaves above where the old one was.

good luck! I'm sure it will be very happy!

quiltergal · #9 03-03-2008, 04:38 PM

Phals like daytime temps in the 70s-80s, so you might want to find a warmer spot for it. No need to keep taking it out of the pot to check the roots. You'll be able to see the new roots emerging from the side of the plant. If it's growing new roots and leaves then it's a happy camper. I don't think you'll see another spike until next winter/spring if it just finished blooming.

There are lots of good orchid fertilizers out there. I use Greencare MSU which is generally only available online. I've also used DynaGro Grow for Orchids which might be more readily available. As soon as Ray's website is back up and running I can direct you to a fertilizer calculator to figure out how much to use. Most of us are shooting for 125ppm of N.

Gwenchanter · #10 03-03-2008, 09:00 PM

Well I'm not hard core grower so I just use half strenth diluted miracle grow because I had a bunch left over and I'm trying to use it up. You can buy special orchid fertilizer if you want but miracle grow works fine as long as you don't mix it too strong. I think most people use the kind you mix with water but you can use time release as well, which I know nothing about. I use miracle grow every two weeks.

What fertilizer you use isn't the most important thing, what's important is HOW you do it. Heres a tip I learned at an orchid class: when you are going to fertilize, water the plant well with clear water. Then, the very next day, water it again with fertilizer water. If you water with fertilizer without watering the day before, it's going to be a bit of a shock to the roots. Just like if your starving for a week, then all of a sudden you eat a super rich meal, your going to get sick. You need to ease them into it. 24 hours after you water them the first time, they are supple and ready to take the fertilizer in. If you water them then dont wait 24 hours and fertilize right away, they will be too full of water and not able to absorb the nutrients in the fertilizer.

You might adjust your watering schedule depending on what medium your orchids are growing in and depending on how long it takes for them to dry out completely before watering again, but the rule of thumb is to fertilize every other watering.