Need to repot phrag grande?

[KonaLady]

I have had my phrag grande for two years. This year it had three spikes. It now has five new growths. It is potted in a five inch plastic pot. It appears to be potted in medium orchiata and sponge rock with a heavy top layer of lovely green moss, that I hope to save. It sits in a saucer of water all of the time, which in turn sits in a clay pot. It is thriving, and I am afraid to kill it when I repot! I can tell that the roots are circling the pot, but it is not in danger of the growths growing out over the rim thus far. Now that I type this out, I am wondering if I need to repot now. I just don't want it to suddenly decline. I also prefer clay pots. Would it do well in clay or should I keep it in plastic. Also, if I repot, should I just move the rootball as is, picking out what media I can, or attempt to unwind the roots. Thanks for any input.

[WhiteRabbit]

[No-Pro-mwa]

I am in the same boat. I have a Grande / Sorcerer's Apprentice that has been in the same pot for a little over 3 years and it needs a re-pot. Right now it is in coconut chips in a clay pot setting in a saucer of water. I was thinking of putting it in PrimeAgra but it is doing so well I hate to change much. So I think I may put it in Orchiata back into the clay pot so as not to change things up to much. I would think you could wait a bit as I am thinking that the Orchiata will last a lot longer than the coconut chips I have mine in. I am going to have to wait till I get mine out of the pot and see how the roots are before I make a call on that one.

[estación seca]

It's been a couple of days and only Shannon of the several phrag experts here has commented. so I'll chip in with what I read here. I seem to recall several of them saying these plants should be repotted every 1-2 years no matter what.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Originally Posted by estación seca

It's been a couple of days and only Shannon of the several phrag experts here has commented. so I'll chip in with what I read here. I seem to recall several of them saying these plants should be repotted every 1-2 years no matter what.

I do believe you are right, see how bad I am. I just don't get to my re-potting very well. Thus me trying to use something that will last longer. My phrag is still doing very well and I know the media has to be broke down.

[MrHappyRotter]

Unless there's a compelling reason to repot a plant this time of year, I'd recommend waiting several months. Lots of indoor plants, even those grown under lights, slow down their growth as the days get shorter, and I prefer to wait until the days are once again getting longer before repotting.

That being said, I don't think you'll have any issues repotting a perfectly healthy, happy, and actively growing phrag at any time of the year. At least, I don't usually have any issues post-repotting with these plants. They have strong, wiry roots that don't seem to skip a beat from repotting as long as you aren't too rough with them.

When I repot, I clean off as much of the old material as I can. I don't bother untangling anything, I just rinse the roots, maybe swirl them around in a bucket of water and then place them down into the pot. Then I fill in with the new mix. Once I'm done, I use seaweed extract and/or superthrive for the first soak. I do not let the roots dry out. Even after repotting, I make sure to keep the roots soaked at all times.

Some times after repotting, I'll get some leaf tip die back, but most of the time, there's no issue at all. They seem to be very adaptable to "root trauma" and a big, fast grower like Grande should handle it without any problems as long as you keep up with all the other growing conditions (proper light, temps, air flow, etc).

Now, there's a couple things to consider here as well. First, the mix you're describing tends to hold up really well for a long time and is not known to break down quickly. So, even if it's been potted in the mix for a couple years, I bet the mix is still in great condition. The only thing that might creep up on you is salt build up (from fertilizing) so you may want to be sure to flush the pot with clean water a little more often to help remove any excess nutrients.

I usually consider the moss to be a good sign on my plants, since the plants with moss tend to be my healthiest. Another thing to consider is that phrags actually handle broken down medium a lot better than most other orchids, so even if the mix is broken down slightly, your plant is probably fine with it. I've read and heard stories of phrags growing well in mixes that have completely broken down and turned to mush -- now I don't recommend letting things get to that point, but even if they do, a few extra months isn't likely to make a difference.

I've used clay pots for phrags (and other orchids) in the past, and I don't anymore. For aesthetic purposes, I prefer clay, so like you, I often place a plant that's potted in plastic down into a clay pot. The reason I don't like clay is because the roots adhere to it, and then when it comes time to repot, it's almost impossible to dislodge them without breaking them. Even crushing the pot and leaving the clay bits on the roots doesn't seem to prevent breakage.

[KonaLady]

Thanks very much. You have reinforced my thinking that I can wait a while to repot this one. As I live in Hawaii season is not too big a thing, although we do have "seasons." As for the breakdown of medium, I was thinking that as phrags grow creekside (I think) that they could withstand a little "mush" better than other orchids. I must say the carpet of moss on this one is deep and gorgeous, so I will leave alone for a while. Mahalo!