Switching phal from Sphag to S/H - Are they ready to be repotted?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by scy

Oh just so I know for the Spring, how long do the new active roots have to be before they are ready for s/h? How many should there be before I attempt it?

The key is that the plant is displaying growth of new roots, not how large they are. I would rather have "nubs" than roots.

[scy]

That's exactly what I was wondering! I didn't know if the nub needed to be a certain size before I could move them over in the Spring. I noticed that my cymbidium leaves grew a few inches. I went in for a closer look and noticed 4 nubs all around the bulb.

[Ray]

Keep this in mind: Root cells grow "tailored" to the environment they are in. Once the cells grow, they cannot change.

Roots that are just emerging will be totally tailored, while parts that already had grown in another environment will not. That doesn't mean you'll necessarily lose those, but the first scenario just seems more favorable.

[Pilot]

Originally Posted by Ray

Keep this in mind: Root cells grow "tailored" to the environment they are in. Once the cells grow, they cannot change.

Roots that are just emerging will be totally tailored, while parts that already had grown in another environment will not. That doesn't mean you'll necessarily lose those, but the first scenario just seems more favorable.

This is just my experience but I agree completely with Ray-- however, I have had plants growing in wet moss before and doing well, but switched to s/h and the roots were never lost because the environment was close enough to the moss that the roots did fine. I believe you could consider this an exception to the rule, though.

[mazzieman]

Keeping the roots continually wet on all epiphytes such as Phallies is a risky if not fatal way to go. Like most orchids phallies like to dry out between waterings or the roots will rot. A thorough soaking should always be followed by a drying out period, though not completely. Use the plastic name tag as a sort of dipstick and run your fingers along it. If damp leave for a day or two. If dry water.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Pilot

This is just my experience but I agree completely with Ray-- however, I have had plants growing in wet moss before and doing well, but switched to s/h and the roots were never lost because the environment was close enough to the moss that the roots did fine. I believe you could consider this an exception to the rule, though.

Not an exception at all - just a "qualifier". The more similar the old and new conditions, the better the existing rots will function in the new conditions.

Originally Posted by mazzieman

Keeping the roots continually wet on all epiphytes such as Phallies is a risky if not fatal way to go. Like most orchids phallies like to dry out between waterings or the roots will rot. A thorough soaking should always be followed by a drying out period, though not completely. Use the plastic name tag as a sort of dipstick and run your fingers along it. If damp leave for a day or two. If dry water.

Sorry Mazzie, but there is enough experience with semi-hydroponics and water culture to show that your assertion is untrue. I have plants that have been kept constantly moist for over 15 years in S/H culture, and they are doing great.

I think that what most-often happens with traditional culture is that over-watering leads to rapid breakdown of the medium, which gets compacted enough that "bridging" water held between the small medium particles blocks the airflow and suffocates the roots. Folks incorrectly interpret that to indicate that the plants must dry out between waterings, while in reality, doing so allows the medium to dry out, reopening the pathways for gas exchange.

A secondary aspect is that, as roots grow "tuned" to the environment, as that medium decomposes, the environment changes, and as the existing roots can't, they are no longer well-suited and can be stressed and die.

If orchids truly needed to dry out between waterings, the species that grow in the tropics - where they tend to stay constantly moist, especially in monsoon seasons - would all be extinct.

[debval]

I have potted up many orchids in s/h and phals seem to take right to it without any adjustment period at all. I've even repotted when in full bloom and they never miss a beat. Yes that is a new root. Try to plant in clear pot so you can watch the amazing roots grow. Good luck and Happy growing