URGENT: In the middle of repotting
 

Holy smokes! I'm repotting my dendrobium. In the midst of getting rid of the old medium, I'm realizing the thing's all root! I don't even know where to begin trimming this thing, they all look healthy. I'm putting it into the pot shown with hydroton balls. How on earth are those balls going to get into that compacted root ball?

Oops, forgot to add the pictures! Here they are.

Try turning the plant upside down and wiggling a couple of handfuls of Hydroton down into the center of the root ball. If it's that tight you're going to have some air pockets. Not much you can do about it. On the bright side it sounds healthy. I've never heard anyone complain about having too many roots! ;)

The way I pot everything is to hold the plant steady in the pot and put the aliflor in by the handful then tap the sides of the pot. The aliflor settles into the nooks and crannies of the roots without breaking them.

Okay, I took both your advice. Here are the results. Look okay? There are some hydroton balls in the middle of the root ball.

Yeah, except a lot of the roots look pretty old to me. Moving to S/H (I've tried it once, so I am far from but expert) I have heard requires new roots suitable to the constant moisture. What I really wanted to say, though, is that is a marvelous set of roots, just perfect for a Dendrobium. Dendros love to be root-bound (except when mounted). So the "all roots" description is a good thing. Unfortunately, I am not sure those roots will survive this move. Hope you prove me wrong! :biggrin: :bowing

Ross, do you think I should just repot it in regular ol' media? I'd hate to kill it, but I'm not very optimistic about proving you wrong.

Are you just using hydroton as your medium or actually growing them in S/H?

Can't answer that one, sorry. PM or e-mail Ray and ask his advice. I really don't want to give you a bum strear because I have little knowledge on S/H and what to expect. What I can say, is that lots of those roots look like they will take periodic water and drying, but I wonder about their ability to withstand constant moisture. I chose not to go S/H with my chosen candidate, because of the roots. Ray preaches often enough the when and how, but I didn't listen and nearly lost a plant. I think you might be fine, but get his advice - don't listen to me, please.

Sue, that's a S/H pot. I just assume.