S/H and locking in roots

[catgrrrl]

Hello, everyone. I am wondering... Do the plants need to be "locked" into the S/H medium - the way they would in other mediums? I saw a video on YouTube where someone was demonstrating repotting a phal and she said that one of the common mistakes people make is not making sure the roots are "locked in". I don't remember if she used that terminology, but she was able to demonstrate that the plant and pot were pretty solidly "locked" together by lifting the underside of the leaves of the plant and both pot and plant came up without detaching. I have been doing this with all of my phals, but one had super long roots and I could not put it in the same size pot. I tried about 4 times to fill in all of the spaces as best as I could with the prime-agra but in the end, when I tried to lift it, the plant came right out of the pot - roots and all. It was taking me so long, that I eventually repotted and didn't test it because I pretty much knew if was going to come right out again. What do any of you do? Do you see if the plant's roots are locked in?

Thanks so much for any advice you can give.

[Ray]

With traditional, organic orchid media, one often relies on the compression of the medium pieces to anchor the plant's roots, so the medium is "squeezed" around the roots upon repotting. As LECA and other inert media are not compressible, trying to do the same results in root damage.

Therefore, I find it best to stake or clip plants in place when repotting, so they are stationary while they grab hold with their roots.

[dave b]

You dont need to do this s/h (not really possible given the nature of the media). The plant wont be 'locked in' until the roots begin to grow well into and thru the media and adheres itself in the process. You just dont want the plant so wobbly, that it falls over or out of the pot, say for instance you had a plant with few long good roots, or top heavy.

In fact, no freshly repotted orchid is truly 'locked in' until the roots themselves grow into the media and adheres itself to the media and pot. All you are trying to do in the interim, is artificially secure the plant / roots into the pot until it adheres itself. This can be done by packing the media in tight, or using rhizome clips, common in Cattleyas.

[catgrrrl]

Originally Posted by Ray

With traditional, organic orchid media, one often relies on the compression of the medium pieces to anchor the plant's roots, so the medium is "squeezed" around the roots upon repotting. As LECA and other inert media are not compressible, trying to do the same results in root damage.

Therefore, I find it best to stake or clip plants in place when repotting, so they are stationary while they grab hold with their roots.

Oops! So, I've been damaging the roots! Ok. Thanks so much for the information, Ray. I hope these poor things survive me.

[catgrrrl]

Originally Posted by dave b

You dont need to do this s/h (not really possible given the nature of the media). The plant wont be 'locked in' until the roots begin to grow well into and thru the media and adheres itself in the process. You just dont want the plant so wobbly, that it falls over or out of the pot, say for instance you had a plant with few long good roots, or top heavy.

In fact, no freshly repotted orchid is truly 'locked in' until the roots themselves grow into the media and adheres itself to the media and pot. All you are trying to do in the interim, is artificially secure the plant / roots into the pot until it adheres itself. This can be done by packing the media in tight, or using rhizome clips, common in Cattleyas.

Aaah!! I should have come to this board first before watching YouTube! Thanks so much, Dave. Live (hopefully) and learn, I guess...

[Oscarman]

So far I have not needed to stake or otherwise support plants that I have transfered to S/H. Fortunately they have had enough roots to be anchored in the prime-agra until the new growth grabbed onto everything. LECA type media seems to have a bit more weight than conventional bark mixes and helps contribute to a more sturdy planting.