Help! Roots stuck to pot like glue...

What should I do with roots that are stuck fast to the pot (like when repotting, etc.)? I'm talking mostly about dends, oncs, etc., any orchid with *extremely* clinging roots. I don't want to be going around destroying roots, since they are delicate, but certainly are mighty strong! Is there anything I can do (my guess: taking a stick and trying to pry the roots off one by one )? What do you do when you deal with roots stuck stubbornly to pots? Or am I the only one with these problems?

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~~~Lily~~~

Lily,
I have that problem with one of my cattleyas. Made the "mistake" of putting it in one of those clay pots w/ holes and the roots are climbing all over and around and out those holes. I'm afraid by the time I need to repot next year, the pot is going to have to be whacked w/ a hammer to get it free. You are right, we tend to think of roots as fragile, and they are but WOW they are tenacious and strong!

I assume you're using clay pots. I love using clay pots for catts--they don't tip over, and they dry out quickly so that one can water heavily during the growing season without risk of root rot. Repotting is a pain because orchid roots cling to clay. Some damage is inevitable, but if the plant is nice and rootbound, there is no worry. Despite the carnage that will take place, the roots will grow back nicely.

One thing you can do is to slip a butter knife around the edge of the pot. While it may crush some of the roots, it may also pry others off the clay and keep them intact.

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Jason

Thanks .

So it seems like I need to go some serious "root surgery"! One is in clay and the other is in plastic. I'm not repotting now, but sometime soon I will. Oh no, the root nightmare awaits me in the near future !

Do roots get stuck harder to clay pots or plastic pots?

(Sorry...just messing with the text sizes/colors)

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~~~Lily~~~

Hi Lily,

I use both clay and plastic pots, and I've found that the roots tend to stick on clay pots a lot more. All of my plastic pots have a smooth, slippery coating which prevents major sticking. That's one of the reasons I prefer plastic pots, because it makes repotting much easier.

However, I also like to paint clay pots and saucers to add some accent coloring to my plants. I just slip the plastic pots out of the clay ones whenever I need to water.

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Nancy
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I'm switching everything over to plastic eventually. I find it easier to deal with and my clear pots make it easy to see what is going on inside.

Plastic also retains moisture unlike clay and they are cheaper and easier to customize.

a good soaking just prior to repotting will help ease the process of unsticking the roots.