Cymbidium potting ??
 

I am thinking about repotting my Cymbidium tracyanum from a 2 gallon pot into a very large, decorative 20ish gallon pot using semi hydroponic clay tablets. I want to get feedback on if this is a really bad idea or if it will work out fine..

The new pot is about 2 feet tall and holds a lot of media so idk if this will keep it too wet and kill the cymbidium or if it will be ok since it will be semi hydroponics. I know that overpotting can easily kill an orchid but i am wondering if this will be perfect for the cymbidium giving it plenty of growing room.

Any advise?

Ben

Hi Shiff,

I'm not clear if you'll be using the clay pebbles to grow your cym in "traditional" culture or are you switching over to semi-hydroponic culture?

I think it's a good idea to post your question in the semi-hydro forum. That pot looks massive and once you load in the pebbles it's going to be a back breaker so you might want to scale down the size for that reason alone.

Dude, thats just too big!....you want to repot every 2 years...and that vessel is for the next 20 years....what happens if there is a lot of algae deposit thru the years ...and you must be able to flush it every 2 weeks if youre doing the S/H method?
NewBloom is right that is a backbreaker....you need to put it on top of a board with wheels to be able to move it=you wont be able to lift that by yourself=you need two people to lift that filled with hydroton

so if you are really keen on using it and can handle the physical therapy, why not repot the cym into another pot with about 1-2 inches space around the growths and then put that pot into the other one. Cyms don't like too much space. That way you get to use your pot and also the cym gets to grow into it through about 8 years of repotting !!! LOL

I, too, had I pot way too big for mine, so I filled it with medium and then sank my original smaller pot down into it.

Yes, this is why before i do something big like this i ask you guys. All my suspicions were true. I was too thinking about sinking a smaller pot into the big pot, i'm not planning on moving it from the spot that it is in. The plant has already been here for a whole year without moving and has thrived so moving it wouldnt be a problem but i do forsee problems with wetness and flushing etc..

Thanks for all your help guys :D

Ben

This is a really, really a BAD idea!:evil: When you over pot, as you will be doing here, there is far too much media for the roots to absorb the moisture from, and the media will just stay wet forever. Do I here 'ROTTEN ROOTS' here? The plant may also spend so much energy trying to send out roots through the media, that it will not bloom for several years.

If you are desirous of a big decorative pot, just up-pot your plant into a plastic pot allowing about 2" space around the edges, as previously suggested, and then place the new pot in the decorative pot. You may have to elevate it with some course rocks or even pots. I would not submerge it into media of any sort as it will impede the drainage from the plastic pot. :twocents:

I never recommend using more than a 3 gallon pot for Cyms unless you plan to have a block party and BBQ when it comes time to repot or divide you plant! :lol:

Cym Ladye

Hahaha funny, ya I would sell it and say pickup only and then have them deal with it lol. Ya I definitely am not gonna use the large pot, I'm using a small upgraded pot for this one. It's my favorite cymb of all time so I wouldn't risk losing it lol