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

[DirtyCoconuts]

I have been looking at these guys for a bit with a little trepidation and the long read controlling wisdom is DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOTS as i have learned from the internet.


I was reading the AOC culture sheet on these guys and it says they want to be repotted EVERY YEAR?!?!?!

http://www.aos.org/orchids/orchids-a...sychopsis.aspx

and quoted here

Psychopsis are intolerant of stale conditions at their roots and benefit from annual repotting, especially in bark mixes. The roots of these plants are fine and subject to salt burn if the potting medium is not regularly flushed with pure water. Because of their fat pseudobulbs, cultural problems can go undetected until significant damage has been done.

so, how can one avoid disturbing the roots while repotting annually? i will likely get one of these and grow it in lava rock mostly because i don't like to repot and with inorganic media i don't have to but i am still confused about this contrasting set of instructions

[Roberta]

Annually? Surely they jest. Phrags, which stay wet it makes sense. But Psychopsis???? I did try growing these in pure inorganic medium, they grew slowly but not well, so I switched to bark with a fairly large amount (like maybe 1/3) inorganic and they do better. My Orchiata bark, on the large side, doesn't break down fast... with a fast-draining mix, my repotting interval is more like 5 years. Then I just shake off the old stuff and drop into new, don't try to clean off the roots. But then too, they dry out fast - which makes the bark last longer. I think they do want to dry out more than the rest of the Oncidium group. My pseudobulbs are not particularly fat, so maybe I'm running they drier than they like, but considering how many years they have survived, they must not be TOO unhappy. A couple of my oldest orchids! (Pyp. papilio, a bit over 20 years, Pyp. Kalihi about 12 years)

[DirtyCoconuts]

yeah, it seemed SO in the face of all the consensus among growers that i had to ask.

thanks!

[Roberta]

The other interesting thing about the AOS notes is that they imply that the genus is fussy about water quality... don't tell that to MY plants, which have been living on city water (not horrid, but certainly not wonderful) for their entire lifetimes. I think that this group probably thrives on neglect even more than most.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i should resurrect that thread about inconsistent information on the web LOL

just really odd from AOS as i assumed someone with experience was doing their culture sheets

[Leafmite]

I love the Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' for the leaves and so I have a pair of them. I put mine in red lava rock/limestone/basket pots and they are doing well in the terrarium. They are very young seedlings that are probably at least five years from blooming. I keep them watered as, in the rock, they like to be watered well and frequently.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

just really odd from AOS as i assumed someone with experience was doing their culture sheets

I have always taken the AOS culture sheets with a grain of salt... Actually this one is even internally inconsistent... after discussing how the plant dries out in nature, it talks about a growing environment that is icky wet. With species especially (and everything eventually goes back to its component species) the habitat conditions will tell you a lot more than any "canned how-to" notes. (I even find that the Baker culture sheets are only useful in rather general terms in the "how to grow" part... the habitat data such as elevation, temperature range, amount and timing of rainfall, and such tells me a lot more about how to grow the plant, since then I know something about what to do in MY conditions)

[SouthPark]

D.C. ------- good post. I seriously have - for pretty much every incoming orchid ------ disturbed the roots. It had to be done because I unpot, and wash away all the old medium (bark, perlite etc), and repot into scoria. That also ensures no little snails (which I had seen in incoming shipped boxes) stay in some pots. I haven't seen snails from nurseries, but have seen snails from other sellers. But ----- just in case!

Out of all those plants - paphs, phrags, onc, vanda, catt, laelia, encyclia, dend, psy, aerides, etc ........ I've never had any plant take a bad turn in health in my tropical conditions here. And when my orchids come in ------ they can come in (naturally) at any time of the year.

I believe that it'll be down to a control thing. For other regions (or any region) ------ just got to make sure the healthy growing parameters stay within desirable ranges.

[DirtyCoconuts]

terrific post, both SP and Roberta.

I tend to repot all my new orchids as well and i do believe that all the info on the net needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

its so tough to be a knowledge seeker in a world full of garbage information LOL

[MJG]

My Pscychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' is one of my favorite orchids. Its leaves are so striking and the blooms are spectacular. I bought mine in a 3" pot about 3 years ago. Last year it sent up its first spike. It has bloomed continuously from that spike ever since. As soon as one flower falls off another one forms at the same spot. It's now formed a second spike that does the same thing. It's in flower year- round. That spike on the left side is 3 feet tall!!

I repotted it for the first time, in flower, a couple of months ago.
That puts it at 3 or more years since its last repot. It was looking really tight in its 3" pot and I feared the potting medium was becoming stale. I put it in a bark mix in a 4" pot. It hasn't complained or missed a beat. It is currently forming buds on each spike. I find this to be one of my most forgiving orchids. I grow this in my house, water it once a week, and haven't killed it yet.

I say go for it!