Repotting a phalaenopsis
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  #1  
Old 04-07-2014, 02:33 PM
cra323 cra323 is offline
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Repotting a phalaenopsis Female
Default Repotting a phalaenopsis

Hi all,

I'm a super inexperienced orchid lover, and I have several questions about repotting. A couple years ago I did some research on the issue and attempted to repot one of my phals, and it did NOT go over too well... There is A LOT of contradictory info on the internet (naturally).

I've read conflicting information about when to repot, how to repot, how to trim roots (healthy and rotten alike), which medium is best, etc... It's all rather frustrating.

So--- I have one phal. that has dramatically outgrown it's pot, and the moss is super old. However, it is in the midst of blooming and I'm not sure if I should wait to repot or not. Also, I have noticed several roots that aren't looking too good, but I'm not sure exactly what to do, as some of the roots look rotten at the top but are still green and growing towards the tips (???).

Does anyone have any advice/input?

I'm going to attach some photos. If anyone sees anything that I haven't mentioned, please feel free to let me know
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Repotting a phalaenopsis-photo-1-jpg   Repotting a phalaenopsis-photo-2-jpg   Repotting a phalaenopsis-photo-3-jpg   Repotting a phalaenopsis-photo-jpg  
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  #2  
Old 04-07-2014, 05:13 PM
RosieC RosieC is offline
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OK, well it definitely needs repotting.

I would remove and carefully remove the old medium trying not to damage roots. Is that moss as a medium? It looks very old so it's hard to tell. Moss can be removed with tweezers if packed very tight. Sometimes wetting it can help free it.

Once you have removed as much as you can then I would remove any hollow or mushy roots. Personally I never remove healthy roots. I read advice to do that when I first started out and regretted it after doing that with my first. Now I never remove healthy roots on Phals (though I still do on Cymbidiums, it seems to work on those).

Find a pot which just fits the good roots. The one it's in is too small, but don't go too far the other way, just fitting is best, a pot that's too big tends to stay wet inside too long and cause lack of air flow which in turn causes rot.

Choose a medium you are comfortable with. This is different for everyone and one of the things you will find most conflicting advice on. Some people will tell you to stay away from moss for Phals... I used to be one of them... but it works for many growers.

Moss tends to dry slower while bark dries quicker (especially new bark). I like plain Leca for Phals, which dries very quickly and needs watering often. Some people find the Semi-hydro technique works for them (which uses Leca but keeps them always wet). S/H works for me in Oncidiums, & Phrags but not in Phals as it tends to need warmer temperatures than other medium due to the cooling affect from constant evaporation.

Choosing a medium is all a matter of balancing how often you are happy to water, with your environment and how fast the medium dries. Difficult really for someone to advise you on that.

I used to try and wash the roots when repotting, sometimes with Listerine as I had been advised. Usually I don't bother with that now unless I am trying to get rid of something stuck to the roots, and I've not bothered with the Listerine for a long while.

If you repot with moss then don't pack it too tight. Generally whatever medium you use should leave the plant stable in the pot, but not be too tightly packed as orchid roots like to breath.

If you repot with bark, then it can be best to either soak it for 24 hours first, or to pour boiling water over it a couple of times which I've read will open the pores in the wood meaning you don't need to soak first.

I think that's all the advice I can think of just now. Hope it helps. Of course like you say there is conflicting advice everywhere so this is just my

---------- Post added at 09:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 PM ----------

Oh, I forgot about the flower spike.

It's possible the buds will blast if you repot with it's in spike, however phals often don't and many people say it's fine to repot in spike.

Personally I've made the mistake of waiting to repot, then having more problems with the plant as a result, so I always repot and don't worry about the flowers now. I would rather save the plant than keep the flowers.
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  #3  
Old 04-07-2014, 08:11 PM
cra323 cra323 is offline
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Repotting a phalaenopsis Female
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Thank you That was really helpful!

---------- Post added at 07:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:04 PM ----------

Oh, another question--- what if the brownish roots are still firm, and have green growing tips?
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  #4  
Old 04-07-2014, 09:12 PM
MattWoelfsen MattWoelfsen is offline
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Your plant has buds that are maturing to the point that if you make a drastic change to the plant's culture, like repotting it, you could experience bud blast. So I would wait until after all of your flower buds open. Your plant has been in this state for several months, it can probably stay like this until it completes blooming. I would stake the flower spike so it doesn't tip over.

When the flowering process is near completion, then I would follow RosieC's advice.
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Old 04-08-2014, 03:22 AM
RosieC RosieC is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cra323 View Post
Oh, another question--- what if the brownish roots are still firm, and have green growing tips?
If they are firm then leave them on.
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