I am a neophyte in the orchid world, but I do have 1 Phalanopsis which
has bloomed each year for the past 3 and is preparing to do so again.
I wonder about repotting it, which I have never done before. I assume
I should wait until it is done blooming. Some instruction indicate to
remove all the old potting medium from the roots and stuff the plant
into new medium. Seems rather harsh compared to repotting other
houseplants. What is the best procedure for repotting? What is the
best commercial potting medium to buy?
Thanks,
Greg

Greg,

First of all congratulations on reblooming your phal. You must be caring
for it correctly.

The optimal time to repot a phal is in the spring when you see new roots
beginning to form. In an emergency you repot whenever but if you can wait
until spring after the bloom fades and new growth start you will be happier
with the outcome.

It does seem harsh but you remove the plant from the pot and gently shake
loose any medium. You must clean as much of the old medium away because
this will continue to rot and cause wet spots in make watering more
difficult. After the mix is taken away examine the roots and clean them up
cutting away dead roots first and any roots that were broken when you were
removing the medium. Use a new clean single edged razor blade for this and
throw the blade away when done so you don't spread any viruses to other
plants.

For someone with a single plant or two I would recommend that you go to the
local orchid store (Nursery, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) and pick up a small
bag of standard orchid mix. It will contain bark, chunks of perlite,
charcoal, and maybe some compressed moss. The night before you plan to
repot soak the bark mix to give it a chance to absorb water and not dry out
the plant when you plant it.

Since you've been growing the plant for a couple of years in the same pot
you may want to take it up a pot size...remember they like to have the roots
tight so don't over do it. Suspend the plant over the pot with the roots
down inside and work as much media as possible around the roots without
damaging the live roots. I usually bump the pot on the table to settle the
mix a bit around the roots. Do not water the plant at this time.

Sit the newly potted plant in a warm bright area for a couple of days to let
it recover from the shock of repotting then move it back to the place where
you have had the great success in the past.

After a few weeks look to see if you get any medium settling and top off the
pot if necessary.

If your plant has roots growing out of the top of the pot do not try to bury
them and let them dangle into the air.

Good Growing,
Gene




"Greg" wrote in message
om...
I am a neophyte in the orchid world, but I do have 1 Phalanopsis which
has bloomed each year for the past 3 and is preparing to do so again.
I wonder about repotting it, which I have never done before. I assume
I should wait until it is done blooming. Some instruction indicate to
remove all the old potting medium from the roots and stuff the plant
into new medium. Seems rather harsh compared to repotting other
houseplants. What is the best procedure for repotting? What is the
best commercial potting medium to buy?
Thanks,
Greg

On Sat, 25 Jan 2003 20:16:03 -0500, Gene Schurg wrote:

Greg,

First of all congratulations on reblooming your phal. You must be caring
for it correctly.

The optimal time to repot a phal is in the spring when you see new roots
beginning to form. In an emergency you repot whenever but if you can
wait until spring after the bloom fades and new growth start you will be
happier with the outcome.

It does seem harsh but you remove the plant from the pot and gently shake
loose any medium. You must clean as much of the old medium away because
this will continue to rot and cause wet spots in make watering more
difficult. After the mix is taken away examine the roots and clean them
up cutting away dead roots first and any roots that were broken when you
were removing the medium. Use a new clean single edged razor blade for
this and throw the blade away when done so you don't spread any viruses
to other plants.

For someone with a single plant or two I would recommend that you go to
the local orchid store (Nursery, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) and pick up a
small bag of standard orchid mix. It will contain bark, chunks of
perlite, charcoal, and maybe some compressed moss. The night before you
plan to repot soak the bark mix to give it a chance to absorb water and
not dry out the plant when you plant it.

Since you've been growing the plant for a couple of years in the same pot
you may want to take it up a pot size...remember they like to have the
roots tight so don't over do it. Suspend the plant over the pot with the
roots down inside and work as much media as possible around the roots
without damaging the live roots. I usually bump the pot on the table to
settle the mix a bit around the roots. Do not water the plant at this
time.

Sit the newly potted plant in a warm bright area for a couple of days to
let it recover from the shock of repotting then move it back to the place
where you have had the great success in the past.

After a few weeks look to see if you get any medium settling and top off
the pot if necessary.

If your plant has roots growing out of the top of the pot do not try to
bury them and let them dangle into the air.

Good Growing,
Gene


Hi Gene, I'm a 3 month orchid newbie myself and have a question. I have 2
Phals that just finished blooming and are pushing out a few new roots.
Should I wait til spring anyway or can you repot when you notice new root
growth? I love watching pahl roots! Thanks

It's fun watching the plants grow and bloom! Congratulations.

I thought Gene's description of repotting was great. Recently after
cleaning away the old rotted potting mix and decayed roots, I've started
doing a heavy dusting of cinnamon to the roots at the time of repotting.
Reportedly it helps to prevent fungal infections when the roots have been
damaged during the repotting process.

Have fun!

Frank
"Fred Garvin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 25 Jan 2003 20:16:03 -0500, Gene Schurg wrote:

Greg,

First of all congratulations on reblooming your phal. You must be
caring
for it correctly.

The optimal time to repot a phal is in the spring when you see new roots
beginning to form. In an emergency you repot whenever but if you can
wait until spring after the bloom fades and new growth start you will be
happier with the outcome.

It does seem harsh but you remove the plant from the pot and gently
shake
loose any medium. You must clean as much of the old medium away because
this will continue to rot and cause wet spots in make watering more
difficult. After the mix is taken away examine the roots and clean them
up cutting away dead roots first and any roots that were broken when you
were removing the medium. Use a new clean single edged razor blade for
this and throw the blade away when done so you don't spread any viruses
to other plants.

For someone with a single plant or two I would recommend that you go to
the local orchid store (Nursery, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) and pick up a
small bag of standard orchid mix. It will contain bark, chunks of
perlite, charcoal, and maybe some compressed moss. The night before you
plan to repot soak the bark mix to give it a chance to absorb water and
not dry out the plant when you plant it.

Since you've been growing the plant for a couple of years in the same
pot
you may want to take it up a pot size...remember they like to have the
roots tight so don't over do it. Suspend the plant over the pot with
the
roots down inside and work as much media as possible around the roots
without damaging the live roots. I usually bump the pot on the table
to
settle the mix a bit around the roots. Do not water the plant at this
time.

Sit the newly potted plant in a warm bright area for a couple of days to
let it recover from the shock of repotting then move it back to the
place
where you have had the great success in the past.

After a few weeks look to see if you get any medium settling and top off
the pot if necessary.

If your plant has roots growing out of the top of the pot do not try to
bury them and let them dangle into the air.

Good Growing,
Gene


Hi Gene, I'm a 3 month orchid newbie myself and have a question. I have 2
Phals that just finished blooming and are pushing out a few new roots.
Should I wait til spring anyway or can you repot when you notice new root
growth? I love watching pahl roots! Thanks

You can also rinse the roots before repotting. It helps remove old material
and the roots are more pliable when wet. Give them a few minutes to absorb
the water and soften.

Bob

Fred,

It's a bit early for folks up north to see phals grow. I'm in the DC area
and see a few plants starting to grow but most of them are still in their
winter domancy. If you don't have another reason to repot at this time I
would wait until March or April.

The key is to pot the plant when it grows vigorously (spring/summer) and has
plenty of time for the new roots to harden off and mature before the days
get cooler and short. For most Phal hybrids growing in the US the cycle is
grow spring/summer, cool period in September/early October, start to show a
flower spike late october/november, three or four months of tension while
you watch the spike grow (without damage from a clumsy gardener), and
January/February glorious blooms!

Good growing,
Gene


Hi Gene, I'm a 3 month orchid newbie myself and have a question. I have 2
Phals that just finished blooming and are pushing out a few new roots.
Should I wait til spring anyway or can you repot when you notice new root
growth? I love watching pahl roots! Thanks