When to repot Stlma Kelly Lea - Orchid Board

Fran20 · #1 01-06-2020, 08:06 PM

This was purchased in Oct,2019, described as blooming size. It came in a 2" pot. The tag lists 2 potting dates: 1/2016 and latest was 3/2017. My questions:
1) Should I repot into a 3" pot?
2) If yes, when should I repot--now or in Spring? I'm not too sure how to recognize new growth in this orchid.
3) Right now, it appears to be in a mix of fir bark and lava rock. I'm thinking of repotting in 1/4" size red lava rock. Would that be too much of a transition or should I stay with a bark-lava rock mix?
Thanks in advance for your advice.

Roberta · #2 01-06-2020, 09:04 PM

New roots have green pointy tips. Those are the ones to look for. The roots that have escaped the pot are quite good, but likely not growing. The ideal time to repot is when those little green root tips are first visible. New roots will adapt to their new medium quickly. Also if you do it when you first see those new roots, if there is damage to them (and it's really hard not to) you can expect more to come along after it is repotted (and not being disturbed) As for medium, it depends on your watering - the red lava rock will dry out faster than the bark-rock mix. If you like to water (I do...) , that's good. If you water only once or twice a week, may be less good. So it's a very individual thing - the goal is a wet-dry cycle where the plant can dry out but not for too long. There are different ways to achieve that.

Fran20 · #3 01-07-2020, 01:19 PM

Thanks Roberta!

I love your Roberta's Orchids website. It's very informative. As an apartment dweller and beginning hobbyist, I'm afraid that I'm starting to identify with Susan's "Obsession" poem!

Roberta · #4 01-07-2020, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fran20

Thanks Roberta!

I love your Roberta's Orchids website. It's very informative. As an apartment dweller and beginning hobbyist, I'm afraid that I'm starting to identify with Susan's "Obsession" poem!

Glad you enjoyed. When I got my first orchid (from a co-worker) I had just moved into a condo... it went from there.