DONT disturb the roots - OR - Is the AOS wrong?

[MJG]

Farley, I have a big healthy one that I repotted a couple of months ago. But like you I also just bought one of the little ones from Hausermann (a spare, just in case). I am going to leave mine potted as it came. I would be very interested to hear in the future how yours seedling does in S/H!

[farley101]

Not sure when I'll be getting mine, seems Hausermann's is pretty backed up on orders. Gives me time to plan for what I want to do. Might go with a clay pot and inorganic medium like leca or lava instead of S/H. Either way I'd like to get the new one into something I won't have to mess with for a long time!

[MJG]

Fyi, regarding Hausermann timing, I placed my order April 29 and received it this Tuesday, 5/19. I placed an order with them earlier in April and the wait time was similar. I guess part of the delay might have been weather-related. But for sure they are slammed while complying with the covid restrictions. Professional as always though!

[DirtyCoconuts]

i got mine last week, two inch pot, roots looked fine as i cleaned them ever so gently and repotted in a nice big pot of inorganic media, conventional wisdom be damned.

i KNOW i will kill anything potted in sphagnum, fact, so, i have to adapt them to me or they will fail for sure.....

[farley101]

Yeah the website says they are having 12 - 18 day delays in shipping. If I would have known that while I was looking I may not have placed an order at this time. Oh well, just have to wait a little!

Originally Posted by MJG

Fyi, regarding Hausermann timing, I placed my order April 29 and received it this Tuesday, 5/19. I placed an order with them earlier in April and the wait time was similar. I guess part of the delay might have been weather-related. But for sure they are slammed while complying with the covid restrictions. Professional as always though!

---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:38 PM ----------

I can probably grow in whatever here, I have most plants in bark but a decent amount of phals are in sphag. I am slowly switching out from that as I tend to let it get too dry and crispy so it's hard to rehydrate.

Bark seems to work good, I can be a little heavier with the watering and it will not hold it too long and cause issues. I'm experimenting with lava rock right now for some cattleya seedlings. A little worried about keeping up with watering them in the winter with that though.

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

i got mine last week, two inch pot, roots looked fine as i cleaned them ever so gently and repotted in a nice big pot of inorganic media, conventional wisdom be damned.

i KNOW i will kill anything potted in sphagnum, fact, so, i have to adapt them to me or they will fail for sure.....

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by farley101

Y I'm experimenting with lava rock right now for some cattleya seedlings. A little worried about keeping up with watering them in the winter with that though.

For little babies (seedlings)/juveniles ..... sphag or small orchiata bark (or some other good quality bark) can be quite nice --- watering more toward the edges of the pot can still provide enough water or moisture for the roots to keep them going nicely. Or just suitable doses of water without watering edges is quite ok too. Whatever works nicely is ok hehehe

[farley101]

Updating my experience, I was watering tonight and noticed a root growing across the top of the medium. There were some surface roots that had been cut short and this had branched off of it. Also, looks like another spike is starting to form from the other pseudobulb!

But I also noticed that I may have messed up the repot and put the newest pseudobulb by the side of the pot. Are these plants flexible where new growths com from or should I do an emergency move before more roots need to be disturbed? 😆

Pics attached, first of spike! Yay! Second, leaf at top of photo is growing from the side of the leafless pseudobulb, hence I think that is the newest growth and I've got it positioned badly. 😖

Any suggestions appreciated!

[Roberta]

I'd suggest just leaving it alone. The next growth could very well be in the direction of the developing spike (which would put it very nicely in the middle of the pot, or that could even be a new growth in just the right place) Not broken, no need to fix! Well done!

[SouthPark]

farley --- the orchid probably won't 'notice' anything if you just replant it into the middle of the pot.

Eventually the orchid will spread all around anyway, but maybe just popping the plant in the middle of the pot is like having a 'wheel balance' hahaha. Putting the plant out the side is like unbalanced wheel hehehe.

[Roberta]

SP, sorry I need to disagree on this one. A lot of orchids (this included) tend to grow along a rhizome...so they tend to march across the pot in linear fashion. Sometimes one guesses wrong in figuring out which way it's going to go, but in this case, still early in the game. Middle of the pot is OK for one that tends to go in more than one direction. But in this case, it looks to me like the direction will take it to the middle of the pot anyway. With those already-developing roots, if it were my plant I would let it go and really see what it is going to do over the next couple of years. Then, if it needs to be moved it can be moved.