Repotting? Now what?
 

I wanted to repot my Phrag. (Belle Hogue Point? - mislabeled as Eric Young) into s/h. It has been growing in moss which I keep consistently moist. My problem is how do I go about that when the root system is 3 feet long? There has obviously been some damage done to the roots trying to untangle them and remove the media clinging to them.
Should I cut them, leave them, or thin them out some? Should I soak in Physan before repotting for any breakage? Also what size pot should I use (I only have quart sized deli containers which I have been using thus far and I know they are too small)? I have switched some plants over to PrimeAgra using MSU fertilizer for r/o water and have been supplementing with Kelpmax. What depth should I plant it, to the base of the newest growth? You can see in the picture, the roots on the newer growths have seemed to stall and not enter into the pot. I tried to mound moss up around them but they did not seem to like it much and seemed to fail to grow.

Or should I just repot into moss again?

I wish more of my problems were like this one.

I planted my Paph seedlings in S/H so the LECA level was the same as on the growth. With your plant, I would have the base of the newest growth just below the surface of the LECA balls. With S/H, it's always easier to raise up a plant in the container rather than cram it down, so plant it a little deeper than you think best, plug the holes with your hand or a piece of duct tape, fill the pot with water, and jiggle/lift the plant as you release the water, so it winds up where you want it.

I can see two schools of thought on your roots: cut them to fit, or get a bigger container.

Ray says most of the old roots will die as the plant acclimates to the new container. This argues for the cut option.

The paphs I moved last July from 2" / 5cm seedling containers into quart / liter S/H containers seem not to have lost any roots, based on what I can see. They most definitely did not have roots systems anything like your plant. So that suggests finding a larger container would work.

If you have some larger regular pots with holes, see which fit this plant's roots best. I'm guessing a standard "1-gallon" black plastic nursery pot will do nicely. Measure the pot dimensions. Go to a dollar store. Look for something transparent or semi-transparent that has about the same dimensions as the pot that fits you plant. Take it home, drill holes and repot.

Another option would be to use two-piece S/H: plant in a standard pot with holes, that fits, and set the plant in a wider dish or bowl, so you can keep the desired level of water in the dish or bowl at all times.

In response to, 'Ray says most of the old roots will die':

Ray also stated that, " If the old and new environments are similar, or the new one is an improvement (soppy sphagnum to moist LECA in semi-hydroponics, for example), there is no real adjustment necessary, and the plant continues growing as if nothing has happened, or in the case of the improved airflow of my sphagnum-to-S/H example, will take off and grow better." (Firstrays website- transplant adaptation).

I am hoping this will be the case and I can save the full root system. I thought the interior roots would be failing because the sphagnum seemed to be very compact but there were good roots throughout. Unfortunately, I broke off 2 of the 3 green root tips which encouraged me that it may be the right time to transplant to s/h. I assume your seedlings were in sphagnum to begin with before the transfer, correct?
I think I will take your advice of trying to find a larger container. If the roots fail I can remove them later; if they survive the plant will have an excellent start. Thank you for your advice.

Yes, in tightly-packed, wet sphagnum that barely dried in a week of summer days. Roots were not great, but the ones on top were excellent.

I repotted my phrag into S/H and it didn't have a problem. In fact it seems to love it. Just let fresh water run through the media and change the water the plant sets in weekly. I did not loose roots and have new growth and a flower buds.

Phrag. repotted into s/h
 

Well the repotting is finished; I hope it makes it. This was the best container I could find locally on short notice. As you can see, it is quite tall in order to accommodate the root system (the Phrag. is located in the center and back of the picture). I hope it is not too tall for wicking to occur all the way to the top of the pellets.

My pellet tops are dry within a few minutes of watering. The ones just below must wick, because the orchid roots are always moist... until the reservoir runs dry.

Well, sitting in the room on the heat mat since yesterday, the container has visible condensation within 3 inches of the top. The pellets do not look extremely dry and moisture can be felt just below the surface. Humidity is around 77 % at the moment. The other plants have had mold develop. I tried just flushing more frequently. It did not seem to be getting better; so I decided to use Physan 20 yesterday to see if that would help.

My pellets on the top are moist all the time. When I had my plant in bark I used to spritz the top everyday while it still sat in a saucer of water. Now I don't have to.

It looks like the plant in that big container is planted a little deep to me. I think I would try to find another container because it is so deep.

Attachment 119760

That is great. I hope mine does as well as yours. I need to water every three days so far in order to maintain the reservoir. I just flush with tap, rinse with r/o water, then fill with r/o water that has been supplemented with fertilizer or kelpmax.

---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:50 PM ----------

It is planted just to the base of the newest growth. I took estación seca's advice on depth. That was also based on the fact all new roots on the newer growths had failed to enter the media it was planted in before. I also placed pellets to the top of the reservoir before adding the roots into the container. I feel I can not fit the 3 feet of roots into a smaller container. They are fairly crammed as it is.

My containers are quart-sized food containers (approx 1 liter), so probably deeper than wintergirl's. I haven't tried a shorter container yet to see whether the clay balls would stay moist at the surface.

I might add that my plants in S/H are doing great, even if the top isn't moist. Their roots are moist.