Need help repotting SVO L. Mantiqueriae Division

[realoldbeachbum]

Oh ya'll, I am in over my head. Received my first ever "Division" from SVO (#1797 L. Mantiqueriae X Rhyn digbyana 'Belgium Lace) in 5" pot.

It has the largest mass of pbulbs and roots that I have ever laid my eyes on! I had planned to just unpot, put in new bark & bigger pot, water in and go. But No! Roots were so pot-bound that I had to cut away the plastic pot. Now I don't know what to do.

Should I try to ply through this glob of roots and pick out the old bark or just sock the whole thing in a larger pot and be done with it? Should I soak it in Physan20 in case there are gremlins buried in the middle? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks as always.

[Leafmite]

Those are beautiful roots! Wow!

[SouthPark]

ROBB ..... nice! For orchids with not too many roots, it's good to be gentle on the roots. But for orchids having lots and lots of roots ----- it's ok to be 'rough' (but not too rough hahaha).

Check this video and look at the way he uses snippers to snip the roots!

You won't necessarily need to snip roots. You have the option of just using a larger pot. But don't be afraid to pry the roots to get bits of bark out (if you like). If you just allow air-dry (temporarily), then that will be ok. No need for physan, since the orchid was growing just fine already in its original pot.

Watch from time 3min 11sec: Youtube Link

[estación seca]

I would not disturb the root ball. Gently shake off what old medium is loose. Set the plant into a pot 2"-4" larger in diameter. Fill in the gap with new medium.

[Roberta]

I totally aggree with ES. Just drop into a larger pot, fill in with with bark, and let it go. The plant won't even notice the disturbance. Particularly with SVO plant, you don't have to worry about the condition of bark inside the pot - the Kiwi bark (New Zealand pine bark) is extremely long-lasting. It will not break down for years. The plant will outgrow it first.

[realoldbeachbum]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

ROBB ..... nice! For orchids with not too many roots, it's good to be gentle on the roots. But for orchids having lots and lots of roots ----- it's ok to be 'rough' (but not too rough hahaha).

Check this video and look at the way he uses snippers to snip the roots!

You won't necessarily need to snip roots. You have the option of just using a larger pot. But don't be afraid to pry the roots to get bits of bark out (if you like). If you just allow air-dry (temporarily), then that will be ok. No need for physan, since the orchid was growing just fine already in its original pot.

Watch from time 3min 11sec: Youtube Link

Thanks SP. Excellent video link to Todd Marshall. I subscribed. (He makes it sound so easy!)

[Roberta]

This one, I would just leave alone, knowing the source and what sort of bark is in the middle. Just let it grow. Also, don't even conseder doing anything except for the drop-pot approach if it's not starting new roots. It is doing just fine. Not broken, don't try to fix.

[Leafmite]

I usually tease apart the roots and remove all the medium, then let the roots heal for a few days before potting it up but those roots are so nice and so compact that there would be quite a bit of damage, no matter how careful one would be. With roots so beautiful and such a healthy orchid...I really like the suggestions to put it in a larger pot with more medium and not touching the roots. Good luck with it!

[Roberta]

Removing old medium is a good idea for most plants because it's likely to be breaking down. I don't know of any other vendors who use the top-quality bark that SVO does...totally no reason to try to remove it. (Based on experience with many SVO plants, most crawling out of their pots and needing to be put in something larger just to keep from falling over)

[SouthPark]

For my orchids, when I do the transfer to my new inorganic medium ---- I remove pretty much every single bit of bark stuck to the roots. Small tiny bits that might still be stuck on ------ no problem. Teeny bits can stay on.

I normally have to wet the roots in order to get the bark interface between root and bark wet enough ...... which allows the bark to come away from the roots ------ otherwise it will be like trying to remove pieces of bark glued to the roots (which may not end well for the side of the root).

This doesn't mean that everybody needs to remove the old bark. It's just saying that if one really does want to remove all the bark - and then provides the orchid with satisfactory conditions there-after, then the orchid will be just fine.