How often do you repot?
 

I am just curious, more than anything. I confess that I get lazy from time to time and many a plant will go awhile without care. Most of my hybrids have been very forgiving of this habit. Some of my species have not been so enthusiastic in their response.

itdepends on the plants and also the culture medium used.. some plants needs to be repotted more frequent than others, and some potting media need to be changed at least once a year...

I chose 'As medium dictates' but Ramón is right that it also depends on the plant as well.

Most of my Phals, Dens and Paphs are set in my spreadsheet to 730 days (2 years) because they are mostly in bark and general advice on bark is 2 years.

Those in lecca I don't yet know about... but they will probably get cleaned lecca at least after 2 years or sooner if it gets a mineral build up too much before that.

Those in moss tend to get 1 year.

However with all of them I might do them sooner than the rough medium based judgment if I think it looks like they need it. If they are not drying fast enough, or are drying too fast, if I think the medium looks decayed, if I am unhappy about the roots for some other reason, if they have put on a massive growth spurt and I think a bigger pot would help, if they have lost roots and I think a smaller pot would help. Any of these sorts of things cause me to put a marker in my spreadsheet for 'Repot ASAP'.

Oh yeah, and some of the cheep discount NoID's may be repotted just because 'I want to try out this new medium/growing method'. Several 50p NoID's were my guinipigs for S/H this year

I chose as the medium dictates some are in hydroton some in bark and some in moss some I don't re-pot just let them leave the pot and hang them up ..

I repot when necessary.
For my phals (all in straight bark) that usually means 2-3 years. All of the phals I got in the beginning (lots of supermarket noids) came in really good quality bark so they didn't need repotting. I also tend to keep the phals on the dry side, so the bark doesn't decompose as quickly as it could. Even after 3 years the bark looks surprisingly fresh. The only ones that got repotted sooner were ones needing larger pots.

For the rest of the orchids, whatever is potted in fine bark mix (Onc types mainly) I try to repot every 1.5 to 2 years since I keep the plants wetter and the small pieces of bark degrade faster.

The sphag potted ones get new sphag every year.

I chose as the medium dictates. Or as the plant dictates as the case may be. I use only PrimeAgra LECA as a medium. I have some plants that have been in the same container/medium for 6 years.

Yeah, as the PLANT dictates would have been a better option!

I agree, as the plant dictates, especially as I like to experiment with new ideas and mediums. Sometimes those experiments don't work out and I end up repotting twice in a year, because a new medium was the wrong choice for that plant.

I'm still trying to figure it out!

depends on the media and the plant - I have read Paphs should be repotted annually regardless of media, so I do. Anything in sphag also annually. Most in fir bark every 2-3 years. Those in CHC can go longer, tho they can require a larger pot before the CHC would otherwise need replacing. I have some Dens in pumice and perlite mixture, and a few Catts in straight pumice - those will be repotted when a larger pot may be needed. Also some plants get repotted if they are not doing well - either just to pot down, or to see if they do better for me in different media.

I do have a couple plants in tree fern fiber - I don't know how long that is good for, tho I suspect it should be good til the plant might need a larger pot at least. I have some Tolus in straight charcoal - I'm not really sure how long that can go before needing to be replaced ...

I also feel, that except for sphag, there is some "wiggle room" - tho there may be some plants that aren't very forgiving.

Yeah, like you, Connie, I am still experimenting. It's been fun, interesting, and sometimes a little sad.
WR - is CHC = LECA?
I am trying a little "mud" (earth worm castings) in the paph mix this year. Their growth should let me know if this is a positive addition. It's been a couple of weeks and I have seen no obvious signs of decline. It's early, I know.:nailbite:

oh, sorry - CHC = coconut husk chips - degrades slower than bark

yeah - I do some experimenting too - hence they Catts in pumice

For me it really depends on the plants and the media. All my Paphs and Phrags get repotted annually not because the media has decomposed but because both prefer fresh mix. Catts, Phals, and Dens I let go 2-3 years (I use CHC not bark) but will repot if they are ready to burst the pot, or there is some other issue going on in the pot.

Amen. :blushing:

I usually repot when one of two things happens: the medium disintegrates or the plant outgrows its container. I don't really like using moss, but there are some plants in my collection that I had no choice but to use it on.

It's a learning experience. I'm still far from being a perfect grower. :)

I CHOSE " as the media dictates" and it really is also how the plant dictates as well. i basically fall into the group with most others. i repot when they need it. sometimes its because thhey are outgrowing the pot, sometimes becaues there is new growth now and the media will need to be replaced soon. that way i dont wait to the very last minute to repot, and the roots are in active growth at the repotting time.