Repotting rootbound Phalaenopsis
 

I'm a repotting novice. I recently purchased a very nice, blooming Phalaenopsis that I need to repot, as it was store-planted in a mix of odds & ends and I want to get it into our Coco-Chip medium. On inspection, the plant proved to be quite rootbound -- most roots look healthy but are wrapping around the inside of the pot rather tightly. I've read the Member Article on repotting, and it does not address my question: When repotting, do I need to loosen or otherwise rearrange the roots in the new, larger pot, or will they take care of themselves once they have room? I welcome all tips & tricks, thanks!

editorbob,

A while back I went to a "how to repot your orchids" class at my local greenhouse and as a demonstration, they repotted a phal that was just like the one you describe - the roots at the top of the pot had woven themselves into a ring that encircled the top of the pot.

First, the orchid guru soaked the pot for about 10-15 minutes while she did other stuff. Then, when she returned to the orchid, she loosened the roots by hand as much as possible (she was much more aggressive with the orchid than I would ever be with mine - but it just goes to show you how tough these plants really are). She could not loosen the woven circle of roots by hand so.... she cut them in two places!!! I couldn't believe that she hacked into otherwise healthy roots, but she explained that the phal had a vast and healthy root system and it wouldn't miss the cut roots if they died. She was less concerned with the loss of a few roots and more concerned with ensuring the proper fit in the new pot - a pot that was ever so slightly larger than the last pot.

Hope this helps.

-J

Thank you
 

Wow, that's more aggressive that I would have thought to be, too! Don't know if I've got the nerve to cut the roots, but I can at least shake 'em loose. Thanks for the reply!

Soak soak soak (don't be afraid to do it for a whole hour, if things aren't working, it will help make the roots more flexible), and be sure to remove all the old medium by any means necessary. I've found that swishing around, even vigorously, in a large bowl or bucket of water helps dislodge stuff.

After that, Jrod is right, if it has a great root system, it won't miss a few- they're hardier than you think.
But it isn't the end of the world if the roots are a little tight if you've gotten all the old media off. Spread them over the mound of new media as much as you can after soaking, and they'll work themselves around.
Good luck!

Thank you, too!
 

Sounds like the way to go. I'll be repotting tomorrow morning, and will post here how it went, for the benefit of any other interested newbies. Many thanks!

Good luck! I'm sure it will be fine. I'd start soaking whatever media you're going to use now so that it's ready tomorrow. Start with boiling water to really open the pores up so it holds water well.

Echoing Izzie, I would only use the cutting of the roots as a last resort. I would soak the roots for a good long while - I find that the sprayer on the sink helps to agitate the roots while they're soaking.

Good luck and post pics if you can!

- J

I also try and avoid cutting healty roots, but if it's the only way to lossen them and if there are plenty of healty ones then it may be the best thing.

i a spag kind of man - the otherday o got a phal that were potted in bark, big and with a basal keikie - repotted it on spag and i already doing better then it did in bark - i soked it for a hour and then took all the bark out with a pincett - and potted it in a sligthly lager pot with spag an leca

Thanks to everyone for the info. I'll post pix!

Phalaenopsis repotting -- Pictures
 

Yesterday I repotted my Phal. First, I soaked the new potting medium (coconut chunks and chips) overnight, and soaked the plant for more than an hour before starting. Here's the plant out of the pot before cleaning:
Attachment 45167
Turned out that the phal was not only severely rootbound, but that many of the roots had dead or desiccated sections. Taking heart from those who said don't be afraid to cut, I removed the dead parts, some of which you can still see in this photo:
Attachment 45168
I followed jrodpad's and Izzie's tips, and everything seemed to go well. Here the phal is in its new home. It seems quite happy this morning:
Attachment 45169
My hearty thanks to everyone who replied and made such good suggestions! It gives me heart to tackle more repotting, which I need to do soon. Wish me luck!

(PS: I'm also new to posting photos -- hope everyone can see them all right!)

Nicely done editorbob! The first time you repot is so nerve racking. Great pics too.

I hadn't realized that the phal was in bloom - usually, unless the phal was in distress, I would wait until the blooms had run their course and dropped off the spike before repotting. Repotting while in bloom can cause the flowers to drop off prematurely. I've learned that with repotting timing is everything. That said, I've had to repot a phal in bloom once and there were no adverse affects. It looks like your phal is happy in its new home.

Nice work!

-J

Ah!
 

I would have mentioned it, but I obviously didn't realize it was an issue. I will absolutely keep it in mind with future repots, as I have several different species the will need attention soon and I want to do right by each one. Thanks!

I think the entire 'don't repot while in bloom because it's bad for the blooms' thing is a myth, at least for phals. I repot everything as soon as it comes through the door, and usually the phals are in spike/bloom. I never lost a bloom, and the plants never skipped a beat.

It's funny that you say timing is everything J, because what I've learned in my experience is that timing doesn't really matter, unless it's Onc type plants.

I agree with Camille. I, and several others on here, have rarely, if ever had problems with repotting while in bloom- I've never lost buds, unless I knocked them off.
The health of the plant comes first in my opinion.


About the CHC- that you soaked for only one night worries me. CHC is inherently very salty. Most people soak for several days no matter where they get it from, switching out the water each day.

Where did you get the CHC from? If they claimed that it was pre-rinsed, then I'm sure it's fine. But just for the future- I'd soak longer.
And I soak with boiling water the first couple times no matter the media, because it helps leach color and open the pores more so it holds water better.

In any case- it looks like you did a great job, and you have some great roots there.
You can water with SuperThrive or KLN for a bit to give it a headstart if you like.

Also, I don't know if it was intentional- but good plan setting the plant so that it's "tipped over" a little- that's how Phals grow naturally in the wild, to keep water from sitting in the crown and causing it to rot.

Interesting. Thanks Camille.

I'm still fairly green when it comes to orchid care, so I defer to your greater experience on this one. I've never had an issue with loosing blooms when repotting phals either. I did have an issue when repotting a psychopsis while in bloom - but it's part of the onc alliance so as you note oncs may be the exception to the myth. I don't grow cats (yet) but I hear that cats can sulk if you repot at the wrong time. No idea if there's any truth to that or if that's a bit of orchid lore too.

Regardless of the genera, I tend to wait to see evidence of root growth before repotting unless the plant is under stress or there's some other mitigating factor. I feel like if the orchid is focusing on throwing out new roots whatever small amount of damage I do to the existing roots by repotting is offset by the new growth.

That said, when it comes to orchid care I'm a complete pragmatist - if it works, it works. :)

-J

Very good J- I don't repot without active growth unless absolutely necessary.

I had to repot a C. intermedia with about 95% rotted roots, and it hasn't gone downhill, but hasn't done much of anything after a month now- so it's sulking a bit.
I keep telling it to get over itself and get going.

Don't take my word for it, that's just what I found from personal experience! I've heard that about the Catts, and I only have one that I usually repot when it's putting out new growths. Same with the Oncs,and some of my dens, that way the new roots adapt to the new medium. But for everything else I grow I usually repot in the summer (that's when I have time to repot!) and don't pay much attention to timing.

Looks like I inadvertently started an interesting discussion. Thanks for the ongoing education! My late wife, who I inherited the orchids from, was a pretty brave caregiver -- she'd repot whenever she saw evidence of a plant needing the room. I'm still way to much of a nervous novice to go for it. Still, as I've managed to murder a couple out of timidity since I've taken over the care, I know I need to step up. This has been an encouraging first try for me. Makes me glad I joined the Board, too -- it's proving worth its weight in good advice!