Repotting??

Hi all


My mom gave me an Orchid last week as a get well gift and I loved it so much I bought another yesterday. My newest one was bone dry when I got it home and I know you are supposed to water in the morning so I waited til this morning to water. Does this Orchid need to be repotted or has this plant tried to divide?? It looks so squished and I just think it needs more room. It still has three blooms .. THank you in advance for your help.

Wow! What I can see of the roots looks GREAT!

I wouldn't repot it. Phals are monopodial orchids and really don't lend themselves to "divison" like a cattleya would.

The leaves look nice and turgid...I say..keep it as is and maybe repot early next Spring...

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I took a taxi from LA to Venus in 1985.

It does look very healthy. For me, I would repot when the blooms are done. Not because it looks crowded, but because it is in sphag and it would totally rot with my watering schedule. I prefer to grow in a bark mix that almost drys out between watering.

Cheers,
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

I agree with BD 100%. I always repot my phals.

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It always rains after a dry spell !:

I agree with BD. It will probably be fine in the sphag until it is finished blooming, then it should probably be repotted. But it does look healthy!!

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Geoffrey

Thank you guys I think I will follow your advice and give that a go. I need to pick a few beginner books as I am a complete noob, and have no idea how to repot correctly but have read a little. I am very grateful I stumbled across this forum

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If life gives you lemons - make lemonade!!

If you are interested in orchid books, then pm me. I have a whole slew of books on orchids, I could probably give you a few suggestions...

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Geoffrey

When you do repot, find a clay pot with slits around the bottom to replace the plastic pot.

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I am so glad you found us too!

Here are some articles that should help you get started repotting and growing your Phalaenopsis without any costs. The first is on Semi-Hydro and the second specifically about phals:

Semi-Hydro: a Repotting Pictorial (featuring a phalaenopsis orchid)

Growing the Phalaenopsis Orchid (Moth Orchid)

And you have probably seen it on the home page, but we published an Orchid Photography and Growing Book in 2007. Orchid Through Our Eyes. It has good, basic information and lots of full color photographs of some amazing orchids. Plus, each copy that sells, the forum gets a percentage of the sale! Just google it at your favorite on-line book seller. It is in world-wide distribution printed in English.

Cheers,
BD

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RVO's OrchidTalk Forums - "Bringing People Together" Help support our Community: Donate or Become an OrchidTalk Subscriber today!
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

I've seen other references on the board to Semi-Hydro potting. Does anyone have any experience with potting orchids in rockwool? I use to use it almost exclusively.

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