Should I repot or wait?

[stoneydork]

Hello! I bought my very first orchid yesterday which happens to be a Phalaenopsis. I have found some information but it's rather conflicting. One said to re-pot the orchid as Soon as you bring it home but another said to Not re-pot it if it has blooms on it. Well, mine is very lively as far as blooms are concerned. I would be rather sad if the blooms died because of re-potting it. I have some pictures of the orchid so maybe you guys can give me a better understanding on if and why I should or should not re-pot it. Also what type of pots are ok for this type of orchid? I have a pot that I plan on putting it in but I am not sure if its suitable. It's rather large compared to the tiny pot the plant came in, but not too big. It's also plastic and not clear. But has drain holes in bottom. Also the pot currently has old soil and a dead plant in it from a plant that died due to gnats Its been in my shed for over a year so it's pretty old. I figure I would probably have to thoroughly clean the pot so it will not kill my orchid but how should I clean it? I am not a green thumb lol but really love orchids.

This is a link to a pot very similar to the one I own.

Shop 7"H x 9"W x 9"D Plastic Planter at Lowes.com

And alas.. the pictures of the orchid and it's roots through the clear pot it is in.

















Sorry for posting too many pics, but wanted to make sure I got all the shots possible to give a good example of how the roots/orchid looks without taking it out of the pot.

Any advice is much appreciated! Thanks!

[kalanchoe]

Hi stoneydork, welcome to Orchid Board!

I can see how what you're reading would be confusing. Here's the deal: if the plant's roots are healthy and it's not in danger of rotting in the old medium, you can wait to repot until the blooms have dropped. If the plant's roots are not doing well and the medium is nasty, it's better to go ahead with the repot and potentially sacrifice the current blooms for the sake of the plant's health. (The blooms won't always whither due to repotting, but you always run that risk.)

Your roots look nice and healthy, so I'd just leave them be and enjoy the flowers. As for your choice of future pots, I wouldn't go up in pot size by too much- orchids like to be on the snug side in their pots. I love using clear pots for my orchids because I can see their roots and use that as a guide for when to water them. Perhaps you could repot in an appropriately sized clear pot, and then place that inside your larger decorative pot. But that's just what I would do, and there are many ways to go about growing orchids. Good luck with your beautiful new plant!