DONT disturb the roots - OR - Is the AOS wrong?

[nzadro]

It looks so good!
Mine is out for delivery today! Astounding considering I placed the order on Tuesday. I expected the delays everyone else experienced and am not even ready in case it needs to be repotted

[farley101]

Wow, they must have finally caught up with the orders or they are allowing more people back to work.

I'd guess you should be fine for a few days or weeks if need be before worrying about repotting. I ordered 5 plants and all were in good shape.

[nzadro]

Well, friends, my Hildos came in the mail from Hausermann.
It looks delightful. Active new growth, healthy, whole nine yards.
But! BUT! The roots are coming out of the drainage holes! Surprise. I will be to repot, I think. How I will do this without pissing it off as I fuss the roots out - lord knows.
Any tips welcome.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by nzadro

Well, friends, my Hildos came in the mail from Hausermann.
It looks delightful. Active new growth, healthy, whole nine yards.
But! BUT! The roots are coming out of the drainage holes! Surprise. I will be to repot, I think. How I will do this without pissing it off as I fuss the roots out - lord knows.
Any tips welcome.

They look great! Mine will be arriving from Hausermann later this week. Seeing how good yours look, I'm very excited, although I expect the best plants from Hausermann. I've never received a crappy plant from him.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by nzadro

Well, friends, my Hildos came in the mail from Hausermann.
It looks delightful. Active new growth, healthy, whole nine yards.
But! BUT! The roots are coming out of the drainage holes! Surprise. I will be to repot, I think. How I will do this without pissing it off as I fuss the roots out - lord knows.
Any tips welcome.

Minor disturbance is inevitable, just try to keep to a minimum, don't be aggressive about removing stuck-on old medium. Plastic pots are cheap... don't hesitate to cut it. Sometimes, where I have roots stuck to a pot, I just cut the pot where I can, leave the rest. As long as new roots have an "escape route", does no harm to have hunks of the old pot inside the new. Better than savaging good roots.

[nzadro]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Minor disturbance is inevitable, just try to keep to a minimum, don't be aggressive about removing stuck-on old medium. Plastic pots are cheap... don't hesitate to cut it. Sometimes, where I have roots stuck to a pot, I just cut the pot where I can, leave the rest. As long as new roots have an "escape route", does no harm to have hunks of the old pot inside the new. Better than savaging good roots.

Thanks Roberta, that is great advice
Should I repot it asap or give it some time after shipping? Same size pot? Personally have neevr had to repot anything (unless bareroot), so unsure.

[Roberta]

I don't think it matters whether you pot now or later. Sooner probably better, so that the roots don't grow farther out the holes. I think that you can go a bit larger on the pot, so that you don't have to do it again too soon. Maybe a 4 inch pot. No larger than that.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by nzadro

Thanks Roberta, that is great advice
Should I repot it asap or give it some time after shipping? Same size pot? Personally have neevr had to repot anything (unless bareroot), so unsure.

If you have to cut the plastic pot ------ a good pair of metal work tin snips can be real handy. But - as always - keep the cutting end well away from fingers during cutting - in case of slipping etc.

You can either use same size pot, or a bigger one. Usually, a relatively shallow pot can help cut down on media and roots being overly wet for relatively long periods of time (which generally helps classically-grown orchids).

With the very slight case you have of just a few roots poking out from those holes ------ poking out slightly only ----- you can simply squeeze the sizes of the pot a little bit to maybe loosen up the media, then tip the pot upside down to see if anything budges. Sometimes the plant and material just slides right out. The roots of your plant poking through the holes don't appear to be latched to anything, so it should be ok. Otherwise, metal tin-snip cutters can be used to cut this small plastic pot.

For new plastic pots - use pots with good size and number of water drainage holes.

[MJG]

Nzadro, congratulations! That's a wonderful-looking plant.

Regarding repotting, if the roots are stuck to a plastic pot, I run lukewarm water through the pot as I am squeezing the pot to try to gently free it. The water will help free the roots from the pot and from the potting media. They may not come entirely free, and don't force them. And do use the snippers on the pot as needed.

[SouthPark]

Totally agree with MJG about that usage of luke-warm water. Once roots and media get some water on them for a little bit of time, the strength of adhesion of roots on whatever they're clinging to can drop a fair bit, which is nice.