Repotting overgrown phal

[Helene]

My phal is not mounted- I left it there so the windowsill didnt get wet. Still thinking about that- and I totally agree- its a balance. And with the big pot- thats not balance- I feel I have buried that guy alive. I need another pot.

Maybe get a wider cylindrical pot for that one, then they can be a couple. Two cylindrical pots, with healthy green roots growing free. Maybe. I need to try and feel if it feels okay.
Btw, they somehow reminds me of brains put in glasses with formaldehyde- lol, I'm weird, I know


Yeah- I know the feeling with the root thingy. Most of them I had to use bigger pots than those I had found- the roots needed more space.

The reason for keeping them in pots and hung sideways, as in not free roots- that balance, I really want them to grow like nature, but at the same time its a bit hard misting them every day- without destroying the floor with water. So for now its easier having them in pots. But I really think they look better when they are tilted. Noticed because thats how mine grew when they were neglected, when nature decides

I'm planning on maybe make a wall of cork or epiweb or whatever the name is- and then some sort of aquarium or pot or something in the bottom- to catch water from misting. And well- not sure yet- trying to find a balance between nature and my room, willing to rebuild that room to make a better balance.
Its a reading room, a room for silence, for thinking, or just relaxing. Have a 160x200 bed the other side, with a table that fits books, my computer (I write stories on that, when I don't read), and thats it. Plants and relaxation.

Lol, anyway- yeah- I agree, think we have the same ideas about growing, basic ideas atleast. I like your creativity😊

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[bil]

Thank you. I tried vandas in vases, I found it a pain filling the vases and emptying them, even using a siphon. It also takes a LOT of water//fertiliser, so I'd try misting inside the vase and then draining the surplus out.
a) I'm mean.
b) I have problems these days lifting heavy things.

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[Helene]

I'm back😎

And my orchids- well, as usual- they grow roots like crazy😜





In due time…




Next one




Thick roots on this one


Well, those I did last year will not be repotted until next year- they are doing fine

[Jungeoma]

Unbelievable, Helene. You just don't have green thumbs, you have green hands.

[neofans]

Amazing! What's your growing environment?

[Helene]

Originally Posted by neofans

Amazing! What's your growing environment?

Live in Norway- so I just keep them inside, like houseplants. Mostly in windowsill, move them around in summer so it doesnt get to hot from the sun.

I'm not afraid to water them, as long as it doesnt stand in water. Temperature is about 25 celsius I guess. Not very humid, but they seem to enjoy living here

[Helene]

Never repotted an orchid in my whole life before I started my repotting bonanza last year.
Thanks for all the advices and support on this forum- all my phalaenopsis are now repotted and will be fine until next year atleast.

So, to summarize it all, here are all my phalaenopsis today, and how they looked before repotting. Some repotted this year, some from last year.

Not blooming atm, but I actually consider the flowers a nice bonus, its the plant and roots I find fascinating. All of them blooms every year.

My collection of phalaenopsis from today:
(I try to pot them the direction it feels natural for the individual plant, so some are more to the side than others.)

Number 1
This one have big, rounded leaves. Shiny and very firm leaves. (So they dont hang because its not firm, it just like hanging like that for some reason).



Number 2
Like number one- a bit darker. Really shiny plant.




Number 3
This one is a bit odd. It has both short and rounded leaves, and then it has some really long leaves.
When it flowers its really amazing (the white "angel" flowers earlier in the thread).



Number 4
This one has a bit thinner leaves, and are not shiny at all. I think I got this last year, so not sure if its another kind or maybe it will be more shiny when new leaves arrive.



Number 5
This one likes to lean all the way to the side, and got some bumps here and there- but well, its a charmy one.



Number 6
This doesnt look like much- lost some leaves after getting sick last year. Seem to be doing okay now. This I like because of the dark color- flowers are so dark purple it almost looks black. Not round leaves- more long and thin.


Number 7 &8
Mother and keiki. Been having some troubles since last year. And someone left a window open during -16 celsius- so almost frozen to death last week. Not happy, but it seems to be bouncing back. Will pot it after it has recovered a bit more


Number 9
Really big and heavy. Lol- outgrew its pot, and well- been repotted, but back into the bucket. Need to find a big glass vase and keep it the same way as plant number 10
Spikes are about as thick as my fingers. Impressive when it blooms



Number 10
I just love this one. Kinda looks like brain in a jar😜😂
This one has always been growing in all kind of direction, and it grows spikes from odd places, as can be seen in the first photo. (I dont think this spike will flower, cause it gets soaked everytime I give this beauty a bath)
From when it was still in a pot, all overgrown:


Will cut this stem of, after reading here that it is safe to do

This actually seem to like being in this glass vase- so it never moved from this into a pot. I just love the roots to much to hide them in a pot.




So there you go. My project "repotting overgrown phals" are done😃
I think I did a pretty good job, have been reading a lot here before I started.

I also learnt that orchids actually can be handle pretty roughly without being harmed. They are incredible adaptable- lol, or they wouldnt have survived all those years without proper care in my house.

[estación seca]

WOW.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Those are some roots you have going on. So the last one is setting in water all the time? And if so how long have the roots been in the water. I would surely kill mine that way. But I do like the look of the roots as well.

[Helene]

No- it was in a pot to start with, then kinda outgrew the pot- most of the plant on top of the pot. Then I never put it in a new- kept it in the glass vase while waiting to decide how to repot (last year), but it seems to like it- grows new roots and just love it.

I put it in water for some hours, sometimes for a day, and then just empty the vase. So mostly its in the vase without water.

Sometimes I add a tiny bit of nutrition, but always after soaking in water first- so it doesnt get to much.

Kinda like hanging them, I just dont bother misting many times each day.

The first picture you can see the pot underneath all the roots

How often: well, depends- it can easily go for weeks without, but it prefer to be soaked a couple times each week.

Edit: two of them are like this- number 9 and number 10. I actually had one of them in a pot, but it didnt seem to like it, and it lost some roots while being in a pot. So- I just try to give them whatever they seem to like

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