Repotting a Phalaenopsis
 

Hi All,

Managing to keep my orchids going, flowering quite a lot. Always a but, as you can see from the attached photo this one is trying to climb out of its pot. Although I expect you will say pot it up the problem will come that a pot is too large for my aesthetic. Can I repot and chop off the lower part of the root structure? I have done it with other types of plants but maybe not so delicate as an orchid?

Thanks

Bob

Not a good idea bobloes. If it's too big for the aesthetic you want, pot it up and put it somewhere else or gift it to a friend. Then get a mini sized Phal for the space you want it to take up.

It's probably been in that pot long enough the medium is due for replacement. I would repot into the smallest pot that fits the existing roots, bringing the crown down to the level of the medium. I agree, if that's too big for the space, don't be Procrustes.

I had to look that up!:rofl:

Depending on the state of the root system in the pot, your idea could be a good one. I've repotted a couple old Phals like that, and in several cases there was a rather long section of 'stem' in the pot, all dead and dried up with either no roots at all or just 1-2 very old scraggly beat up roots. I'll cut that portion off (sometimes more than 5cm!) and it makes it much easier to set the plant deeper in its new pot. If that old stem portion still have many decent/good roots then I just cut off as much as possible without touching those roots too much.

In any case, give it a good soaking before repotting to make the roots more pliable, and expect to have to water more often after repotting since the fresh mix isn't as water retentive.

True Camille… I just repotted a Phal that had climbed out of the pot. Bottom two inches were toast.

The method described by Camille should work fine, but if you want to divide the plant and end up with two plants, this is what I would add.

It's a bit hard to tell from a photo and I don't know the condition of your media, but based on what I can see, I would repot to a larger pot this year and wait until next year to divide. There would be a few more aerial roots to support the top. Also, the base would be well-established but could also be left undisturbed in sound potting media for a year after removing the top.

It probably goes without saying, that a phalaenopsis should not be repotted unless it is in very active root growth. This means new root tips on existing roots and new roots developing from the stem.

After removing the top, I dust both cut ends of the stem with a fungicide. Some would say to do this with cinnamon, but I apply Thiomyl power to the cut ends using a Q-tip. Then I leave the top on the bench for a day or so to allow the cut end to dry before putting it in media.

I also never mist or top water a Phalaenopsis unless there is enough air movement to assure that all the water evaporates from the leaves in at most a few hours.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

-Keith

Thanks very much to all. Quite a lot to take in particularly as there are two different ideas. I will report back regarding what I have done and what the outcome is - might take some time.
I thought that Procrustes might refer to procrastination (which just happens to be a favourite activity of mine) but no. Thanks to the New World educating someone from the Old World about a Very Old World. Thanks again. Stay safe.