Repotting VERY Potbound Den.

[astrumes]

I'm kicking myself for not talking pictures of the root ball so you guys can see how bad it was but my goodness did this orchid need to be repotted.

I recently got a dendrobium auriculatum that is big and bushy, a very beautiful plant. But when I went into the pot I found just layer after layer of roots. The orchid was potted in the typical plug of sphagnum moss but the roots have just completely taken over and surrounded the moss. When I tried to gently pull some of the roots away to get to the decomposing sphagnum inside, i would just see another layer of roots.

I got one corner of the system loose enough to get some moss out but after I snapped off a healthy root I decided to call it quits and soak her in a big bowl of water hoping to loosen the moss and have it flow out but it didn't work like I hoped.

So I just picked a bigger pot and potted the orchid in leca, leaving room on the sides so the medium surrounds the root ball. There is still so much sphagnum moss at the center of the root system.

Im hoping the plant will just grow new roots into the leca but I'm worried about the old moss ball at the center of the plant. I figure at this point, those roots are probably rotting and the moss is breaking down.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Should i risk the healthy roots to remove the old medium at the center or should I leave it as is to minimize the damage? I don't know what it better in the long term. If anyone had experience with this, please let me know.