What is your worst task or repot experience?

[SADE2020]

I used to love to repot; planning the repot was the best, but time goes by and sometimes reppoting ends off annoying me and I admit I have lot of plants in waiting list. However, when I finally start to work I enjoy the end result and I feel better.

Among all the orchids, the small root plants, like Oncy and Miltonia for me are the worst.

Here today job, getting these roots clean has been the worst but is done.

What is the repotting that really annoys you or what's the worst task within the orchid-growing hobby?

[Roberta]

Wow, you really clean those roots! I admit that I am not so thorough.... I wash them off with a hose, what comes easily washes away,. whatever is left just goes back onto the pot. What I dread is dealing with a big, overgrown Cymbidium. Sometimes I have to cut the pot to get it out. Then, wash with the hose on all the way, blast with a stream of water. Then maybe get a knife to cut the rhizome enough to open it up so that can clean out the old pseudobulbs in the middle and get rid of the worst of the old roots. I'm getting too old for all that manual labor!

[estación seca]

I strongly recommend you not clean roots like that. It harms the plant. Just shake off what comes off.

[Ray]

My worst orchid-related task ever was clearing out an entire greenhouse of previously frozen, dead and rotting plants after a heater failure.

[RJSquirrel]

I remember that too Ray it was an event to be sure

[rbarata]

My worst task is to water all my plants before I go on holidays...and find someone willing to accept all the different requirements of each plant...and act according my instructions.

[SADE2020]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I strongly recommend you not clean roots like that. It harms the plant. Just shake off what comes off.

The deep cleaning is for culture conversion. To SH

---------- Post added at 01:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:13 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Ray

My worst orchid-related task ever was clearing out an entire greenhouse of previously frozen, dead and rotting plants after a heater failure.

I bet it was a nightmare...poor you!

---------- Post added at 01:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Wow, you really clean those roots! I admit that I am not so thorough.... I wash them off with a hose, what comes easily washes away,. whatever is left just goes back onto the pot. What I dread is dealing with a big, overgrown Cymbidium. Sometimes I have to cut the pot to get it out. Then, wash with the hose on all the way, blast with a stream of water. Then maybe get a knife to cut the rhizome enough to open it up so that can clean out the old pseudobulbs in the middle and get rid of the worst of the old roots. I'm getting too old for all that manual labor!

Omg I hate that too
I have 6 cym waiting for repot....not enthusiastic about that

[Clawhammer]

I have plants that are firmly rooted to their trays and their neighbors. I really hate removing them from the spot that they have grown into for 2-3 years in order to repot. I basically have to cut them out.

I love repotting though.

[Roberta]

If the Cyms are still fairly small (pots 12- 15 cm wide or so) not going to be bad. When they are climbing out of a pot 20 cm or more, is when they get difficult.

[Mountaineer370]

My Phals have all grown enough that many of them are now outgrowing their six-inch slotted plastic pots. It is difficult to find slotted plastic pots in larger sizes, so I'm either going to have to really hunt around the internet and hope I can find some, or find something else to pot them in next time around.

Also, one of the down sides of using pots with lots of slots or holes is that the roots grow freely through them, so I always have to carefully cut the plastic pot off in an effort to not harm any roots. Inevitably, I will damage a couple in the process.

Finally, I have no other place to repot plants except at my kitchen sink/counter, and of course it always makes a mess requiring a lot of clean-up afterwards. Wish I had something like a potting shed or at least a potting bench in the garage!