HELP !!!!

[mikethebike]

Hi orchid lovers.New member here looking for a bit of help.ive grown a couple of orchids before but have recently got serious about collecting and growing more.I already have a love for cacti and other house plants and have good general knowledge.And 2 good orchid books.
Ive bought a blooming size Cattleya Intermedia thinking it needs re-potting as it looks to have run out of space.Its a good size plant in a 4" pot,but the roots have a vice-like grip all around the tiny pot.it has been hanging all its previous life but i need to sit it in a pot/vase/bowl or similar to sit it on a windowsill..should i ..... A.put it as it is in a bigger orchid pot/or similar and surround it with bark.B,gently break the roots away and re-pot in the bigger pot.or C ,do nothing ! .Any and all ideas regarding potting on,care,and presentation of the plant much appreciated.
Michael.

[bil]

Get it out the pot, if the roots are too compacted do nothing, just put it into a wide shallow pot with coarse bark.

[AnonYMouse]

DO NOT INTENTIONALLY BREAK OFF HEALTHY ROOTS!!!

Try soaking the roots and pot for a couple of hours. The roots will become a bit pliable.

Is it a plastic or ceramic pot? Pots are a lot less expensive than nice plants. You might have to destroy the pot to get the plant out.

Sometimes, we just up-pot as is. If the plant is healthy enough to consume a pot, what we can't see in the pot may be okay.

Repotting is a way for us to inspect the roots. Pots are just convenient for the grower. Orchids in the wild latch on to tree trunks and branches; or find craggy rocks. As long as their needs are met, they don't make a distinction.

Whichever method, make sure water drains well and has enough room for air to flow.

[Fernando]

You can pot the pot with the plant in a bigger pot - even without bark in between them, it works. I would advise this way if the plant in still young (a tiny pot you wrote) and so we want it to keep its roots as long as possible. Cattleya species tend to make long roots outside of the pots, and they love to adhere to clay pots. A pot in a pot looks strange to us, but the plant would be happy. Like anonymouse said.

My intermedia is beginning to grow now - a good time to repot is when the first roots are just appearing.
Luck with your plant!

Ah - and welcome to the forum!

[Sharon's Sheepdogs]

Unless you have new root growth, I would do as the other members have suggested, repot it in a larger pot temporarily until there are new roots are beginning. Sometimes I just sit the original orchid & pot into a larger clay pot & fill the space with bark or sphag, whatever medium the orchid is currently growing in.

If you have some new roots emerging now and want to fully repot, soak the orchid in either Kelp Max or KLN (rooting hormone) for an hour or so. As someone else mentioned, the roots become more pliable after they've been soaked. You can then try to cut the pot off of the plant with scissors if it's plastic which is what I do when one of my orchids has become seriously pot bound.

Even if you are very careful doing this, you will probably break some healthy roots so it's important that the orchid is putting out new roots which should help compensate for any that you break.. As long as you have new roots, you can also trim the old dead roots off before repotting in fresh media.

Personally, I would prefer to separate the pot from the orchid so that I can trim any dead roots before replanting. However, if there is no way to separate the two, you will not have any choice but to fully repot leaving the original pot in place which might not be optimal but may be the only solution.

Hope this helps.

[estación seca]

As mentioned, wait to repot until new root growth is evident.

I would agree with simply dropping the existing pot into a 5" or 6" pot with some very large bark or LECA chunks in the space between the pots.

[mikethebike]

Just to say a huge thanks you to all who helped me out by sharing their knowledge and wisdom,you are all very kind.It has been very helpful and i can proceed with confidence now.

[estación seca]

Sorry about forgetting my manners... Welcome to the Orchid Board!

[Dollythehun]

Quite the introductory session. Welcome also!