necessary to repot soon after a repot?
 

So I am referring again to my big Angraecum Crestwood Tomorrow Star.

Several days ago, it seemed to be declining, and indeed I found the substrate had totally broken down.

I still had not ordered my Orchiata, so I had to use some miracle gro substrate which I had (the miracle grow mix is not great... but I've found if you sieve all the small soil like particles, which it has for some reason, the small chips work reasonably well)

However, I did not have quite enough miracle gro, so I had to use a certain amount of houseplant mulch wood chips.

So it's still struggling a bit, though better than before the repotting.

My Orchiata has arrived. So my question is, I think about five days after that repotting, will it be okay to repot again to the Orchiata?

Incidentally, since it is now in a 1.5 gallon pot, repotted from 1 gallon, and with small chip Orchiata (the plant came in small bark mix) should I incorporate a. bit of pumice? And if so, to what proportion?

So, should I repot to the Orchiata right away?

:thanx:

It's hard to make recommendations without seeing the plant and the reason why it needed urgent repotting right away.

Pumice could help add some weight to the pot if your plant is top-heavy. The smaller the bark chips, the more water retentive they are.

Potting mixes are like religion or politics: very personal.

I think if overall culture of the plant is good you can leave it as is or change it to a higher quality bark if you wanted it to last a little longer. However, I believe there's no hard rule. Sometimes repotting again after 5 days will be fine, sometimes if the first repotting was very stressful it's better to just let it be. Over time you'll develop an eye for it.

Little, if anything has happened in 5 days. Go ahead and repot, if you wish.

And next time, also consider that you could easily have waited a week to get in the Orchiata and skipped the first repot. Nothing much would have happened in the five day waiting period for it to show up either.

The benefits of repoting exceed by far the disavantage of not doing it. Go ahead!
I once had to repot a bifoliate Catt three times in a week.

Repot, then don't fuss over it. You can't evaluate any treatment in just a few days... more like a few months, or even more for a slow-growing plant like Angcm. Crestwood. In the future, just wait until you have all the materials together. If you have unpotted to look at roots, you can just leave it out of the pot (in the fresh air) while you wait. Won't hurt a plant like this to be bare root for a week.

It is almost always fine to bare root epiphytic orchids for a few days while waiting for potting media. Get the roots good and wet every day. Let most dry between waterings. Exceptions are plants that should stay moist.

Well the pot is actually a little bit broad and shallow, so no risk of tipping. Since I'm using small chips for a big pot (1.5 gallon - up-potted from 1 gallon) would a bit of pumice be advisable? And if so, to what proportion?

So are there any other important factors about the mix, besides how long the mix will last? I am wondering, because as I said, about 1/4, maybe even 1/3 of the mix is houseplant mulch wood chips, not specifically orchid bark. Will this be a problem in the short term?

Got it, thanks. I will likely do so!

I was under the impression, that if the substrate has broken down completely, that the plant can start dying quickly. Is this not correct? :thanx:

Thank you for thiS!

Got it, thank you!

Will the IOPSE specify plants which should stay moist? And in these cases, could they be bare root awhile if watered 2 or 3 times per day? (for future reference)

:thanx: all

You need to infer water from growing habitat in IOSPE. I was speaking broadly - you have probably heard people say Onncidiums, Cymbidiums, Masdevallias and slippers need to stay moist, for a few examples Ecuagenera ships many plants with damp sphagnum around the roots, but many Cattleyas are completely bare root.

I don't think anything with orchids is a problem "in the short term" because they're extremely slow growers. The only thing that I've spotted is the roots not adapted to the new medium will start to fail in about a month or two. Afternoon sun can also burn an orchid in an afternoon (I don't think this is an issue with your genus). Otherwise, you can have an orchid seemingly doing well for a long time until it doesn't.

The way you choose a potting medium has to be in relation to your environment, the type of pot, and the culture you can provide, and then find a balance. What people generally look for is an evenness of the particle size, vs mixing different particle sizes. This is due to smaller particles getting in between the space of bigger particles reducing air flow and holding water to the point of suffocation. If you're repotting to Orchiata this shouldn't be a concern, it's very high quality bark and very well graded.

If the potting media you use degrades, three things can happen: it becomes a "paste" that ends up suffocating the roots, it can harbor bacteria or fungi which could or could not affect the orchid or the balance of beneficial bacteria in the pot, it can change the pH of the pot and affect nutrient uptake. I wouldn't worry about any of the above with Orchiata.

In my case, when I pot in baskets I mix Orchiata with Perlite and grodan cubes at a 1-1-1 or 2-1-1 ratio. If use plastic pots I use 70% bark and 30% perlite. I try to mix evenly. Again, accounting for perlite loss during waterings, sometimes after a few months I only have bark left but by that time the bark will be broken down enough to hold more water.

I think you will be very safe just potting in Orchiata. If you can't keep up with watering you can add some pumice, if you have low humidity indoors (say 20-30%) a 50/50 ratio could maybe be beneficial. If you have 40-50% you can probably use a 75-25% ratio.

I should point out that I diligently supplement my plants with Quantum Total and Kelpak which I believe helps.