Rootbound Oncidium Heaven Scent ' Sweet Baby'

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Fran20

One more question, please? When I repot, do I leave all those air roots above the medium or try to tuck them into the bark?

I'd leave them growing in the direction they're growing. Roots tend to favor the environment that they were previously in. That's why the ideal time to repot is when they are just emerging. The mass of air roots at the front of the plant may not be as long-lived as they would be if you had caught them as they were emerging, but they will keep the plant going until the next new crop. That plant is a root machine! But the fact that it is so healthy with roots in the air should tell you that you do need to keep the new environment airy. It's really better to water more often than to keep the mix too wet - as it dries, air is pulled into the root zone.

[SouthPark]

I forgot to mention - when using tin-snips, keep free hands and free fingers well away from the snips when cutting ----- as we all know about the unexpected 'flip' action that can abruptly occur when cutting thick plastic with snips. The plastic can sometimes just get slotted between the two sides of the blades real quickly, and there can even be an abrupt twisting action while cutting ----- so fingers need to be well-clear of any of this ----- to not get in the path of unexpected flip/twist/cut. This caution could be even more important when using garden shears - might be even more prone to abrupt and unexpected flip/twist action when cutting thick plastic.

[Fran20]

"When using tin-snips, keep hands and fingers well away from them when cutting ----- as we all know about the unexpected 'flip' action that can abruptly occur when cutting thick plastic with snips"
Thanks for the warning! I am definitely a klutz when it comes to handling cutting tools!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Fran20

"When using tin-snips, keep hands and fingers well away from them when cutting ----- as we all know about the unexpected 'flip' action that can abruptly occur when cutting thick plastic with snips"
Thanks for the warning! I am definitely a klutz when it comes to handling cutting tools!

All the more reason to not be in a rush to cut. You can accomplish a lot with a bit of teasing and gentle persuasion (though I have deconstructed a lot of pots) One of the nice things about clay pots is that you can just break them, most of the pot shakes lose from the roots and whatever is left can just stay there. (Actually, the same is true of plastic - if one side is too entwined with roots, just cut away what comes easily, leave the rest - as long as the roots can escape into the new medium, the remains of the old pot do no harm at all)