Quote:
Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer
ah yes I forgot about the golden rule never to repot a cattleya unless there is new root growth.
I disregard that rule as much as possible but it is a pretty known rule I have never understood.
What happens with me is if the substrate is not ideal then root growth is delayed, as soon as I improve the substrate the plants produce new roots within a week every time without fail, unless suffering from severe stress.
So to me waiting for the right time to repot is a bit of a taboo as delaying the repot delays new roots. As soon as I repot I get new roots.
Might be the modern hybrids I'm growing, I always try different ways to make my own conclusions as there is a lot of conflicting info on the matter.
Missorchidgirl as far as I am aware agrees with me on the root thing but on the other hand it has been a golden rule for other cattleya growers for centuries.
As long as our plants are happy that is the most important thing.
I'd be worried seeing roots and leaves dying doing nothing, if nothing else a repot would give me peace of mind but that is me! The consensus seems to be to leave it alone. I personally repot any new orchid from the shop straight away anyway, leaving it for a year is too risky without knowing whats in the pot. But again that is just me.
Sorry for confusing anyone. Not my intension.
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Well ------- what you mentioned above sounds quite ok to me.
So far, I've never had any issues with my orchids getting a repot at pretty much any time -- in my tropical conditions, and with the media and pots I'm using.
I'm thinking that if orchids are dormant ----- or the roots aren't doing anything much or nothing much ...... then I reckon that nothing bad is going to happen with a repot.
This is just assuming a plant with regular amount of roots. Not like 1 root or 2 roots coming out of it.
If I do choose to repot, I do the usual and be gentle with the roots. Sometimes, one or some may sheer off a bit when pulling bits/bark/rocks away (gently) ..... but I found no problems with that.
I don't have issues with growers recommending to wait for new root growth for times of repotting. That is ok. But putting in some comments (eg. yours and mine etc) also can help with getting some perspective on things.
Circumstances ----- conditions - situaton --- can be considered. If an orchid doesn't look like it needs a repot, or delay won't matter ...... then ok to wait. Otherwise - if it needs one due to good reasons ...... definitely!
No disagreements or friction/against-the-grain involved here. It is ok to apply general rule-of-thumb. The rule-of-thumbs can be beneficial to some orchid growers. Naturally, common sense does apply. So if there is reason to think roots may be water-logged etc ... definitely unpot to check things out.
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