Good Evening:
Hi! Newbie here. I have a Physchopsis Kalihi and I think it may be time for its first (by me) repotting. I'm reluctant to do so because
1) I've had it not yet a year, (6-9 months) and I understand they really don't like repotting
2)It just got a new spike (2nd on the plant) which put forth its first flower
What prompted this? I found a spot of moss on one of the black roots. At first I thought it was mold, but then I noticed the top had green hairs. Alas I rubbed it off before I thought to take a picture of it.
Am I over-reacting? The medium, small bark mix with some charcoal, seems to be ok, and it looked like it had just been repotted before shipping. About 1/4-1/2 inch in on all sides you can see the roots wrapped around itself as it was pot-bound in a smaller pot. The roots are mostly black, but then they always have been, and it makes sense if you're trying not to shock it badly that you'd disturb the root system as little as possible. Psychopsis leaves and new live roots will snap rather than bend, as I have found to my chagrin. Training that 2nd spike was/is an exercise in controlled terror.
So the questions:
- Do I really need to repot?
- Should I just flush it with a fungicide instead when I water it next?
- Is there a fungicide that works as a water mix, or do the effective ones all tend to be undiluted spray bottle type deals?
- If I repot should I take the leap and trim out all the dead roots from the root ball?
- If I repot, I'm assuming I'd let the remaining roots sit in fungicide for an hour. Should I use a root hormone afterwards or will that only encourage more mold/moss?
- Anything I should beware of?
- I'd welcome any specific links for instructions/products and best methods to use said products.
Thank you for any help you can lend!