I have a Phal. It's been blooming since late March. It still has
three flowers left but I'm guessing within a few weeks they will fade.
There are a couple of tiny flower buds but they are not growing. It
recently grew a new leaf and looks like another may be on the way.

There are two flower spikes.

How can I tell if the plant needs to be repotted? I really hate to do
anything to it if I don't have to. It had more than 20 blooms and was
so gorgeous it took my breath away.

The pot it's in is a 6" clear plastic. I feed it with orchid food
every time I water.

What should I do when the blooms fade? Should I cut the flower spikes
down, repot or leave well enough alone?

I wanted to get another orchid so that I'd have something in bloom all
year long but I haven't seen anything that looks healthy. Is this a
bad time of the year?

Thanks

,

Since noone else is responding yet, I shall try. However, I may not be the
right person to do so, since as a newbie I never repotted orchids myself,
but rather used to take them to a local nursery and pay them for repotting
services. Alas, I can't do that any more with 53 orchids. During the early
days I used to have my Phals repotted much more frequently than they needed
it, and they continued to thrive nonetheless -- Phals in general are fairly
tolerant of repotting, so your Phal is unlikely to be harmed by repotting
even when it is not necessary; on the other hand, if you do not repot it,
but it needs to be repotted, the plant may well get worse rapidly at some
point. Note: it is possible to kill an orchid rather effectively by
repotting it incorrectly -- that's how I killed an orchid for the first
time: I forgot to leave enough air flow to the roots, stuffed the pot with
moss without any styrofoam peanuts, clogged up the drain-holes, and the
orchid died of rot not long afterwards.

Generally, repotting every 2 years or so is a good idea, but it really
depends on the state that the medium (the stuff that is in the pot, which is
not soil) is in, and what kind of a medium it is (moss, bark, etc.). Some
mediums decompose faster than others and they decompose faster in some
conditions. If you cannot tell whether the stuff is fresh or not, if I were
you, I would seek out someone locally who can help you assess this: seek out
a local orchid society or a plant nursery with a knowledgeable staff person.
It really helps to have someone who knows what they are doing show you how
to repot, at least the first time. If this is not possible, use google.com
searching for example "how repot orchid" to find several guides, or seek out
an orchid book for beginners (for example: Orchid Growing for Wimps). The
hardest part for a newbie though is how to tell which roots are healthy and
which need to be removed, and for that it helps to be able to watch a more
experienced person doing it.

In answer to your question whether this is a bad time for orchids. It is
indeed the time of year when the fewest Phals are in flower or bud, since
most Phals are not summer blooming -- however there are exceptions to this
rule, and it is quite possible to have Phals in bloom all year round -- a
few examples of nice summer blooming Phals that I happen to have: phal
bellina, Dtps Kenneth Schubert, and Dtps Telitha's Gem. You might consider
getting a Paph though, since many Paphs are in bud this time of year, and if
you can grow a Phal successfully, you can probably grow a Paph just as
easily. I would advise you to look for an orchid grower near you, not just a
store that resells the orchids, since the orchid grower is more likely to
give you good advice based on which environment you have to offer and which
preferences you have and is likely to be knowledgeable to point you to
orchids that will do well for you. If you tell us where you are located,
someone here can probably give you contact info for a grower near you. Come
to think of it, an orchid grower could also probably give you good advice on
repotting your current plant (and possibly even demo a repotting for you if
he or she is not too busy and happens to have a Phal that needs repotting).

So that would be my advice, for what it's worth.

Joanna


wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a Phal. It's been blooming since late March. It still has
three flowers left but I'm guessing within a few weeks they will fade.
There are a couple of tiny flower buds but they are not growing. It
recently grew a new leaf and looks like another may be on the way.

There are two flower spikes.

How can I tell if the plant needs to be repotted? I really hate to do
anything to it if I don't have to. It had more than 20 blooms and was
so gorgeous it took my breath away.

The pot it's in is a 6" clear plastic. I feed it with orchid food
every time I water.

What should I do when the blooms fade? Should I cut the flower spikes
down, repot or leave well enough alone?

I wanted to get another orchid so that I'd have something in bloom all
year long but I haven't seen anything that looks healthy. Is this a
bad time of the year?

Thanks

wrote:
Thanks for the thoughtful response.

I suppose I can bring it back to the nursery where it was purchased.

Why do that? Repotting orchids is no big deal. Buy a bag of
Phalenopsis mix at Lowe's or Home Depot and get to work when it's time.
Trim any obviously dead roots.(healthy roots are silvery and/or green)
Make sure the plant's crown is above the mix and fill in the gaps.
Water it well and forget about it for another year or two. It isn't
rocket science.

Most orchids are a lot tougher than most people assume them to be.

J. Del Col

Let me clarify one thing. By "...forget about it...." I meant that you
needn't worry about repotting it before then, not that you should
neglect regular care for the plant.

J. Del Col

J. Del,

While I agree that it is not rocket science, but it can be quite
intimidating, repotting for the first time, if one has never done it before
and never seen anyone else do it. Also while it can be as easy as you
describe, it is quite possible to kill a Phal by repotting incorrectly, at
least that was my experience -- maybe I have a special talent for repotting
incorrectly ;-) but I don't think that it is just me.

The ways to kill a Phal by repotting incorrectly include -- but are probably
not limited to: (a) stuffing up the drainage holes with medium (especially
moss without the use of styrofoam peanuts); (b) cramming in too much medium
into the pot and thus limiting air flow to the roots; (c) choosing a pot
that is too big for the root ball -- especially if the roots were not
healthy and one had to remove most of them but then choosing a larger pot
anyway (a mistake often made by newbies, I believe); (d) buying a medium
that is bark-based if one only knows how to tell when to water the Phal in
moss in one's limited experience thus far (if one's first Phal was
originally in moss), and then overwatering the newly repotted orchid,
thinking that the bark is dry when in fact it is not nearly so.

Yes, I agree that orchids are a lot tougher than most people give them
credit for, and as a newbie I even posted a question to rgo enquiring how
people manage to kill orchids since no matter what I did wrong my orchids
survived and even thrived. BUT now I know that it is indeed not impossible
to kill orchids, and repotting if incorrectly done, in my experience, is an
excellent way of getting one closer to the goal of being an experienced
orchid grower -- defined as one who has killed his or her weight in orchids.

Joanna

wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
Thanks for the thoughtful response.

I suppose I can bring it back to the nursery where it was purchased.

Why do that? Repotting orchids is no big deal. Buy a bag of
Phalenopsis mix at Lowe's or Home Depot and get to work when it's time.
Trim any obviously dead roots.(healthy roots are silvery and/or green)
Make sure the plant's crown is above the mix and fill in the gaps.
Water it well and forget about it for another year or two. It isn't
rocket science.

Most orchids are a lot tougher than most people assume them to be.

J. Del Col

J Fortuna wrote:
J. Del,

While I agree that it is not rocket science, but it can be quite
intimidating, repotting for the first time, if one has never done it before
and never seen anyone else do it. Also while it can be as easy as you
describe, it is quite possible to kill a Phal by repotting incorrectly, at
least that was my experience -- maybe I have a special talent for repotting
incorrectly ;-) but I don't think that it is just me.....


Common sense goes a long way in eliminating the difficulties you
mention.

J. Del Col

J Del,

Ouch. So that's what I was missing in my early repotting efforts: common
sense? Well, if I was, I think chances are that other newbies might as well.
Should that be picked up at Lowe's or Home Depot as well, and do they stock
it next to the Phalaenopsis mix?

Joanna

wrote in message
ups.com...

J Fortuna wrote:
J. Del,

While I agree that it is not rocket science, but it can be quite
intimidating, repotting for the first time, if one has never done it
before
and never seen anyone else do it. Also while it can be as easy as you
describe, it is quite possible to kill a Phal by repotting incorrectly,
at
least that was my experience -- maybe I have a special talent for
repotting
incorrectly ;-) but I don't think that it is just me.....


Common sense goes a long way in eliminating the difficulties you
mention.

J. Del Col

J Del,
Another thing that common sense tells you (but not me out of some reason, at
least not the first time I repotted): make sure to repot while you are in a
comfortable position, use a good size table for example NOT the bathtub
bending down (even if you have very limited space and the bathtub may seem
like a good space for repotting because of the ease of cleanup - but that's
only for people like me who have insufficient common sense), and while it
will take you very little time to repot, the first time I repotted it was a
major undertaking since I needed to futz and decide whether roots were dead
or not quite yet and all the bending down for a prolonged time resulted in
major backpain later on. Clearly insufficient common sense was at fault, but
I wonder how frequent such a lack of common sense is, the first time one
repots.
Joanna

wrote in message
ps.com...

J Fortuna wrote:
J Del,

Ouch. So that's what I was missing in my early repotting efforts: common
sense? Well, if I was, I think chances are that other newbies might as
well.
Should that be picked up at Lowe's or Home Depot as well, and do they
stock
it next to the Phalaenopsis mix?

You either have it or you don't. Common sense says you don't transfer
a plant to a pot significantly bigger than the one it was in. It tells
you that if water stands in the pot, something is blocking the drain
hole. It also tells you to pick up a basic book about orchid care like
Ortho's.--available at Lowe's or Home Depot-- and follow its advice.
The basics of orchid care and repotting are no great challenge. After
all, orchids are grown commercially by the millions, tended by people
with no special expertise, to say the least.

I have Phals. growing on phal. mix,bark, diatomite and volcanic rock.
They thrive and bloom regardless of what they are in.

Anybody who can grow African Violets can grow Phals.

J. Del Col

wrote:
J Fortuna wrote:

J Del,

Ouch. So that's what I was missing in my early repotting efforts: common
sense? Well, if I was, I think chances are that other newbies might as well.
Should that be picked up at Lowe's or Home Depot as well, and do they stock
it next to the Phalaenopsis mix?


You either have it or you don't. Common sense says you don't transfer
a plant to a pot significantly bigger than the one it was in........

That's just not true. I've known that for so many years (decades) that
it feels, at first, like common sense to me too. Maybe you think you
just knew that from common sense but I really think people have to learn
that one way or another.

Steve

Steve wrote:
wrote:
J Fortuna wrote:

J Del,

Ouch. So that's what I was missing in my early repotting efforts: common
sense? Well, if I was, I think chances are that other newbies might as well.
Should that be picked up at Lowe's or Home Depot as well, and do they stock
it next to the Phalaenopsis mix?


You either have it or you don't. Common sense says you don't transfer
a plant to a pot significantly bigger than the one it was in........

That's just not true. I've known that for so many years (decades) that
it feels, at first, like common sense to me too. Maybe you think you
just knew that from common sense but I really think people have to learn
that one way or another.


So, when you were a novice, you'd look at a plant in a four-inch pot
and think it was okay to put it in an eight-inch pot? I doubt that.

J. Del Col

Thanks. That's what I'll do. I'm far from a repotting novice, it's
just orchids that I haven't handled. I think I can tell a dead root
from a live one - at least I hope so.


wrote:
wrote:
Thanks for the thoughtful response.

I suppose I can bring it back to the nursery where it was purchased.

Why do that? Repotting orchids is no big deal. Buy a bag of
Phalenopsis mix at Lowe's or Home Depot and get to work when it's time.
Trim any obviously dead roots.(healthy roots are silvery and/or green)
Make sure the plant's crown is above the mix and fill in the gaps.
Water it well and forget about it for another year or two. It isn't
rocket science.

Most orchids are a lot tougher than most people assume them to be.

J. Del Col

Well, no. But many novices will go by leaf size instead of by the size of
the roots, for example, and get a pot that looks the right size with the
leaves, or will always assume that a plant should be repotted into a pot
that is one size larger no matter what the state of the roots. This means
that an orchid that has not been doing well and that has many fewer roots
than it had in its better days will still be put into a slightly larger pot
even though by now even its previous pot was too large for it.

Also many novices will look at an orchid that is potted in a tight pot with
roots that just barely fit in, and they will think that the plant must have
outgrown its previous pot, and that it needs to be in a larger pot to have
room to grow further. While in reality Phals like to be root-bound and have
only just enough space in the pot to fit the root ball in but not extra
space.

That is not something that common sense will tell one -- or at least that is
not what a lot of people will put in under the definition of "common sense".
And I am quite sure that a lot of people who have made this kind of mistake
would resent being told that they don't have common sense.

Oh, and one other scenario to consider: I have at least once bought an
orchid that was actually sold to me in a pot that was way too big for it --
I think the vendor may have been dishonest and wanted to charge more for it
based on pot size, or alternatively the vendor was not an experienced grower
himself and had made an honest mistake. I don't know for sure. This was a
mail-order orchid, so I did not get to examine it before I bought it.
Luckily by then I had learned enough about orchids that I noticed that
something was wrong with it, I repotted the orchid soon afterwards, noticed
that the pot was too big and put it into a much smaller pot. I could have
complained to the vendor, etc, but since I actually wanted to keep that
plant, I didn't say anything but never bought from this vendor again. The
orchid recovered after being placed in a pot that was more appropriate for
it. But I know that if this had been my first orchid and if I had not
learned something about repotting before I got it, this orchid would not
have had a chance.

Joanna

wrote in message
oups.com...
So, when you were a novice, you'd look at a plant in a four-inch pot
and think it was okay to put it in an eight-inch pot? I doubt that.

J. Del Col

wrote:
Steve wrote:

wrote:

J Fortuna wrote:


J Del,

Ouch. So that's what I was missing in my early repotting efforts: common
sense? Well, if I was, I think chances are that other newbies might as well.
Should that be picked up at Lowe's or Home Depot as well, and do they stock
it next to the Phalaenopsis mix?


You either have it or you don't. Common sense says you don't transfer
a plant to a pot significantly bigger than the one it was in........

That's just not true. I've known that for so many years (decades) that
it feels, at first, like common sense to me too. Maybe you think you
just knew that from common sense but I really think people have to learn
that one way or another.



So, when you were a novice, you'd look at a plant in a four-inch pot
and think it was okay to put it in an eight-inch pot? I doubt that.

J. Del Col

It didn't happen, because when I bought my first orchid I also bought a
book. I read through the book and got a clue before I did anything
drastic with my new orchid.
Just about any house plant could be purchased in a 4 inch pot then do
just fine being moved into an 8 inch pot. I'm not trying to be a pain in
the butt, but seriously, I wasn't born with the ability to to just know
that orchids were different.

Steve

Googlemail2
J. Fortuna answered your question nicely. Need more info? Just ask.
Thanks for dropping in.
Top poster Joe T
Baytown, Tx.

wrote:
I have a Phal. It's been blooming since late March. It still has
three flowers left but I'm guessing within a few weeks they will fade.
There are a couple of tiny flower buds but they are not growing. It
recently grew a new leaf and looks like another may be on the way.

There are two flower spikes.

How can I tell if the plant needs to be repotted? I really hate to do
anything to it if I don't have to. It had more than 20 blooms and was
so gorgeous it took my breath away.

The pot it's in is a 6" clear plastic. I feed it with orchid food
every time I water.

What should I do when the blooms fade? Should I cut the flower spikes
down, repot or leave well enough alone?

I wanted to get another orchid so that I'd have something in bloom all
year long but I haven't seen anything that looks healthy. Is this a
bad time of the year?

Thanks