orchid mix has soil in it - Orchid Board

TracyLee9 · #1 09-27-2014, 12:43 PM

I've just repotted 3 orchids for the first time. Two of them were drenched, totally soaked with water (they were tighly packed in moss and clearly not enough drainage)...the other one hasn't bloomed in over a year...and I noticed most of the roots were rotten, apart from the aerial roots.
My husband bought orchid mix from the nursary. There was a lot of soil/dirt mixed in with the bark. Is this ok, or was I supposed to soak it first to get rid of the dirt? I probably should've asked this before I repotted them...now I'm just looking for peace of mind! I mixed it with a little bit of green moss too.
The one with only healthy aerial roots left, I didn't "bury" these in the mix because I read that aerial roots won't adapt well to being "buried" and should be left outside.
Have I done this right or do I need to start again?
Also, I know one shouldn't repot during bud/flowering...but what about new leaf growth? Will repotting shock it too much and stunt the new leaf growth, or can I go ahead and repot these?

PaphMadMan · #2 09-27-2014, 01:27 PM

It might be helpful to know what kind of orchids you have.

The best time to repot is almost always when there is, or about to be, new root growth. Usually if there is new leaf growth then new root growth is there too or about to happen. Or if the current mix is rotting or staying too wet you don't have much choice. I think you were correct to repot.

Was it actually soil? Or peat moss, coir, fine vermiculite... the kinds of things you often find in potting mix for house plants? A certain amount of those things is normal in mix for some orchids, as long as the majority is courser bark etc. it is probably just fine. Most orchids can adapt to a range of potting mixes, just adjust your watering - water more often in a very open mix, less often in a finer more water retentive mix.

What to do with aerial roots is always a question. If the plant is firmly anchored without those roots in the pot, and the point where new roots can be expected to grow is in contact with the mix it should be fine.

TracyLee9 · #3 09-28-2014, 05:57 AM

Hi, thanks for the advice. The orchids are all phals. One is a miniature. I'm happy I did the right thing in repotting. Two were showing signs of leaf and root growth, whereas the third, absolutely nothing for a long while (the one with the rotten roots).

I have another that I'm thinking of repotting. It is starting to grow a spike from one of the original spikes. Is it ok to repot it now? The reason I'd like to is that it appears tightly packed in moss. When I water it, nothing drips out the bottom, it all just gets soaked up by the moss. So either I need to cut more holes and slits in the side to let it breath, or I must just water it a lot less, or I must repot it. I'm just a bit nervous, given my potting mix and would probably like to see how the other 3 do first. Or I must go buy some better mix.

I've attached a pic of this orchid, as well as the mix and the moss I used to repot the other 3.

PaphMadMan · #4 09-28-2014, 02:08 PM

I'd go ahead and repot that one now rather than risk it in packed moss that doesn't drain well. There is some chance of losing the branch spike but really no risk to the plant form that - and plant health has to come first.

Personally, I would leave the fresh moss out when repotting and maybe sift out some of the fine material in your mix. But if you go ahead and treat it just like the others then at least they will all need similar care, and you just need to adapt your watering to maintain the right moisture level.

orchidsarefun · #5 09-28-2014, 03:48 PM

funny - my folks near Hermanus were saying that they cannot get proper bark mix in South Africa, especially after taking a look at what we can get in the USA.
If I was you
1) join or contact a local Orchid Society. They may be able to source or recommend a decent bark mix
2) most of my phals are in tightly-packed sphagnum moss, the long-strand quality type from NZ ( no other type works ). They do wonderfully. The trick is to know how much and when to water. Believe me, drenched at the bottom is not necessarily a bad thing ! Remember they got to the size they are in that moss.
We just finished repotting my daughter's phals. The ones in bark had numerous bad roots and the bark was almost soil it was so old. The ones in sphagnum moss were fine, the main reason being she forgot to water that often.............perfect for sphagnum culture.

TracyLee9 · #6 10-05-2014, 12:52 PM

Oh dear, I think I might be too late. I went to repot the above mentioned orchid this morning. First, the bottom leaf looked loose and I wiggled it and it came right off. Not a good first sign! The remainder damage became evident when I started to pull all the moss out. I have attached some pics. Is this crown rot? It's quite black and the roots don't look too healthy either. I hear there's not much you can do about crown rot

South Africa doesn't have the best orchid supplies, no. I actually found some good bark imported from the US, but the price was just ridiculous and my husband said I'd be crazy to buy it. Frankly, I think I'd be crazy not to, I might have to go back and get it!!

Another thing I'm struggling to find is clear plastic pots, I can't find them anywhere!!! Some orchids come packaged in them already (and those that do, are usually packed with bark). The ones with moss are tightly packed with a soft plastic non-reusable "container" (if you can even call it that). I don't think I'll buy those again. Not just due to my poor experience with the moss (although as you say, I could adjust my watering...and you're right, these were some of my most beautiful, larger blooming orchids), but at least the ones with bark have plastic pots that I can reuse. I like to be able to see what's going on. I think that was my problem with these tightly packed moss ones too...the "container" doesn't hold up well, it has to then be packed in another container full of gravel so that it stands upright. And that's a pain to remove every time you want to water.

Now, I have 3 other orchids packaged the same way as this one...they have grown new spikes and are about to bloom. They feel rather wet inside. I haven't watered them in about 3 weeks. Do I continue to not water them until they dry out a bit? What else can I do? I'd hate for these to also rot.

Good idea in contacting an orchid society. I know of one an hour or two from where I live. I'll try that.

Thanks!

orchidsarefun · #7 10-05-2014, 01:19 PM

if that leaf just fell off, then its prudent to spray a fungicide. You can also mix a bit of ordinary plain cinnamon with water to make a thickish paste and paint that on the exposed surface - make sure you don't get any paste on roots.

This is a useful site - check symptoms and cure here first
Orchid Pests, Orchid Diseases

I have bought plastic pliable clear pots from Taiwan. They are the best, especially if you use sphagnum. Your orchid society is probably the best resource for this type of question. You may also be able to go to shows with overseas vendors and pre-order pots for pick-up.

veda.maas · #8 08-12-2015, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orchidsarefun

if that leaf just fell off, then its prudent to spray a fungicide. You can also mix a bit of ordinary plain cinnamon with water to make a thickish paste and paint that on the exposed surface - make sure you don't get any paste on roots.

This is a useful site - check symptoms and cure here first
Orchid Pests, Orchid Diseases

I have bought plastic pliable clear pots from Taiwan. They are the best, especially if you use sphagnum. Your orchid society is probably the best resource for this type of question. You may also be able to go to shows with overseas vendors and pre-order pots for pick-up.

Hi!

Where in Taiwan do you buy from? They might be easier to import than from the US for us - so expensive, especially the shipping!

Cym Ladye · #9 08-12-2015, 12:31 PM

You might visit the sticky at the top of the Beginner Forum, "The Phal Abuse Ends Here" for some good advice to help you along.

bil · #10 08-14-2015, 07:51 AM

I always pot phals in bark and nothing else. Fine for the minis and coarse for the normals. You can grow them in moss, but they have to dry out really well, or root rot is a cert.

Me, I prefer to have a more open mix and water more frequently, as to me that approximates more closely what they would get in the wild