Repotting Question
 

I recently repotted a phal from sphag to bark mix and am having trouble keeping it stabilized. It is currently in bloom and tends to lean after watering (stake and all). It is currently in a 5" plastic pot. How can I stabilize it if I do not have any rhizome clips? Are there any household items I can use?

I read in a different post that someone used rubber bands and I used that for a stabilizing my dendrobium, since the pot was small enough, but they don't quite work on my 5" plastic pot.

They naturally lean. They don't grow upright. We make them do that.

Wire coat hangers make a good support.

Did you pot it snuggly enough? When I pot up phals (or other orchids) I tap the pot on the table as I'm adding the bark so that it settles well and doesn't leaves any big gaps. Usually the plants can maintain themselves upright pretty well.

Other wise what you can do is put a shorter stake on the side opposite to which the plant flops over and tie the spike's stake to it. Once the plant it well establised in the pot or once the spike is gone it will probably hold itself more upright again. And like Philip says, they tend to lean a bit as they grow (although most of mine stay very upright), but it seems like yours is just not anchored very well instead of natural leaning.

I repotted by putting some bark mix along the bottom of the pot and shook it to level it off. I held the orchid in the position I'd like it to be in and then added the bark around it, while shaking the pot gently as I went along to make sure it settled around the roots. I even gently pushed it down to make sure it filled up the gaps. After 3 attempts, I decided to call it a day. I'm not sure what else to do. I put the plastic pot inside a clay pot to keep it from falling over completely as it will not sit upright in the plastic pot alone. Since the clay pot is not an exact fit, it may wobble if disturbed (such as opening / closing drapes). I just make sure I am careful that if it does move, I push it back into place. Did I repot it incorrectly?

Woohoo! Thanks for the suggestion! I was checking my closets for wire hangers and instead, I came across some leftover floral wire! It's not tipping over anymore!! :biggrin:

:):Tup:


And sounds like you repotted right.

When you repot, get a pencil, shishkabob skewer or chop stick and firmly but gently tuck the medium around and between the roots as you go. You will be amazed at how much more medium the plant needs. In the greenhouse they pot so firmly that they can pick the plant up by its stem and the plant won't come out of the pot. You needn't plant that firmly but neither should the roots be so loose that the plant falls over. Orchid roots like to be snug. They also like small pots. The pot should only accommodate the roots and a bit more.