Pearls & perils of online orchid shopping

[Ravi]

Does one need to repot an online purchase?
Appears sensible to take the plant out of the medium received
To chk the root health
State of the medium in which recd
If every thing appears good put the plant status quo
Even the plant has a good spike and foliage it doesn’t guarantee viability unless roots too are also in sync.
Perils
The plant said to suffer shock due to transit
It’s not a smart thing to repot a flowering orchid in a new medium as the plant has divested all its energy in evolving the spike.
The choices are tough
But in the larger interest of the plant not a bad idea to look see what’s happening to the interior

[aliceinwl]

I think that repotting immediately after purchase is situational. If the orchid is in a clear pot, it’s often possible to get an idea of root health without disturbing it. Then I think the species matters: some are less tolerant of repotting than others or do better if repotted at certain growth phases. I think the media it’s potted in also matters: if it’s one you can grow successfully in then there isn’t the urgency to repot that would be present if the media doesn’t work with your growing conditions.

[TomThumb]

As aliceinwl said, it's situational. I find that i usually have to repot all my new orchids simply because they arrive in less than ideal medium. They're usually very very tightly packed in sphagnum moss which makes it impossible for the roots to breathe. Even if the roots near the transparent pot walls look ok i often find that the more established older plants that have been in these pots for a longer period have dead roots at the center. The younger established seedling age plants are usually fine as they haven't been in this type of set up for that long and haven't grown enough roots to compact the sphag as much.

The two plants i haven't repotted right away were:

1) A vandaceous type that was doing well in it's large bark. It was happy and the bark was almost ready to be replaced but since there was adequate drainage I just left it like that for two months before I repotted. It could have stayed longer but i wanted to switch it out to a pot i could hang.

2) A neofinetia/vanda falcata that just arrived and came in a moss mound. This was a last minute addition to the order the day right when it was sent out so i didn't have a pot waiting for it. The moss is fresh and although the mound is a bit messy and the central pocket has collasped, the moss is loose and airy enough that the orchid will be fine in it.

[Paul]

I'd agree ... it depends.

I generally repot any orchid I buy simply because I'd rather have it in a media which I am used to using.

[MattWoelfsen]

Originally Posted by Paul

I'd agree ... it depends.

I generally repot any orchid I buy simply because I'd rather have it in a media which I am used to using.

Agree as well.

There are only 3 or 4 vendors I buy orchids. Most of my purchases are either potted in NZ Sphagnum Moss or mounted. When an orchid is potted in bark or other substrate, after a month of quarantine, I re-pot the plant in NZ Sphagnum Moss.

It is so much easier to water everything the same way.

[camille1585]

I also agree that it depends.

I'll repot if:
*Not in a transparent pot and I can't see what's happening below, unless the plant comes from a very trustworthy vendor.
*The medium is radically different from what I use for similar orchids. (Almost anything that arrives in sphag get immediately repotted, even if it's to put it back in sphag, but loossely packed).
*Have doubts on the root condition, even if the plant is blooming. I'd rather lose the spike rather than lose the plant.
*Comes from a vendor which is hit or miss in terms of quality. (though I avoid those vendors, sometimes they are the only ones to have that plant I crave.)

[Ravi]

My sincere thanks to all the senior members in sharing their knowledge and experiences, Their views have certainly answered my queries and enriched my knowledge