Old(er) phalaenopsis, repotting help please

[jojofo]

Hello all--first post on this board, glad to be here!

I am a newbie to orchid care, although I have been a "casual" orchid owner for about 10 years. I have finally decided it's time to get informed and do right by my plants!

This phalaenopsis is about 5 years old. It has spiked many times and is still in it's original pot, with the media it originally came with (all sphagnum). I realize now it needs to be repotted.

I have a good (I think) media--Fertilome orchid mix--and a nice 5" clay pot with aeration holes. My questions are:

1) Can it be repotted while blooming?
2) What do I do about that "stemmy" part--should that go under the media?

Thanks in advance!

[Dollythehun]

If it were mine, I would pot it lower to cover that stem. It may root from there. You are correct, you are overdue for repotting. More opinions will follow.

[jkofferdahl]

I'm not familiar with Fertilome (just looked at it on Amazon) but Phals will grow in just about anything. If you've been able to successfully keep that plant thriving for 5 years in sphagnum, this mix is going to be easy for you. A mix like this works best if you soak it overnight before repotting - I like to pour boiling water on it before I go to bed.

Yours is an older plant, which is why it's gotten stemmy. It would be fine to pot the plant a bit more deeply, but before you do I'd suggest carefully inspecting the plant for little nasty critters that can hide in the folds where leaves used to be. It's fine to repot a Phalaenopsis just about any time of year, and in just about any state. You won't interrupt the blooming.

Good luck, and you've obviously done well by this plant so far!

[Mountaineer370]

Welcome to the Board! Good luck with the repot. You've posted your "before" pics, now I'm looking forward to seeing the "after" pics!

[Optimist]

The plant is an epiphyte, meaning it would not be covered at all in a natural environment. I would fear stem or crown rot if the "stemy" part were covered.

Phal roots are covered because many people in temperate climates cannot manage to give them the humidity they need. That, and people cannot conceptualize a plant without a pot.

Phal roots photosynthesize, and that is why people put them in clear pots. Make sure there are plenty of slits or holes in the pot.

Also, the mix should be large and chunky to let air into the pot. Any brand is good, but a brand without additives, like additional fertilizer is best.

[AnonYMouse]

Keep in mind that going from old sphag to a chunky mix is dramatically different for the plant. Mind your watering!

[jojofo]

So, I did it! Thank you all for your advice.

It was, frankly, horrifying. There were almost no viable roots inside the very old sphagnum.

It did have several new aerial roots, so I planted it deeper (covering the 'stem') so that those roots would be in the media also.

I'm terribly pessimistic, and sad that I didn't realize I needed to do this sooner.

Attached are pics after repotting.

[jkofferdahl]

I think you did a great job!

[Dollythehun]

Very nice. Pretty pot too.

[fishmom]

That plant is breathing a sigh of relief! Keep up with the watering, which will need to be more frequent than you are used to. Keep it in fairly low light as it adapts. You will soon see some new growth rewarding you for your efforts!