Question for South Florida growers... HELP!

[Gage]

Ok, so I am pretty new to growing Catts, and I have 2 new ones. I posted about these in the past couple of weeks. Since they are new acquisitions, I am inclined to repot them in hydroton. One is a mini in bloom, about 8 or 10 inches tall, and is potted in bark and charcoal. The other is larger, about 15 inches tall, and is potted in prime agra and chc. I would feel better repotting them, especially the one that is in bark because it seems to be holding water for way too long on my growing bench. So my question is, is it safe to repot right now as it's cooling off, or should I wait till spring??? Thanks for the help!!!

[tucker85]

I don't like repotting in the fall because some cattleyas are going into a rest period. Generally speaking it's better to repot in the spring when you first see new roots starting to grow. If the medium is broken down and you're worried about root rot you could repot now. You definately don't want the medium to be too wet during the winter. Good luck.

[Gage]

Originally Posted by tucker85

I don't like repotting in the fall because some cattleyas are going into a rest period. Generally speaking it's better to repot in the spring when you first see new roots starting to grow. If the medium is broken down and you're worried about root rot you could repot now. You definately don't want the medium to be too wet during the winter. Good luck.

Hmm, then I think I will leave the big one alone since it's in a dryer mix, and repot the small one to get it into something that will dry more quickly. Thanks for the help, Tucker!

[Junebug]

It is a little risky to repot during this time of year. The second plant looks fine to me, but I can't see what type of pot the first one is currently planted in. Under the assumption that the plant has at least some healthy roots that it's planted in plastic or terracotta you could try a different/transition approach. Under this scenerio I'd remove it from it's current pot without disturbing the roots and place it in a similar sized net basket with a little styro at the bottom. The net design would provide better air circulation and allow the bark mixture to dry out at a faster rate. This could get you through the winter. A full blown repot at this time of year would likely shock the plant and delay recovery. The plant can be fully repotted if it already has new growths with new roots emerging. Just make sure to keep it cozy in the unlikely event of a cold spell.

[CTB]

I repot often, but I call it stepping up I don't distrub the roots and just step up into a bigger pot' Repotting to bare the roots I save for our super warm weather. I think orchids love being crowded and overgrowing the sides of pots. After all what orchid wants to be in a pot in the first place??