Paph Spicerianum - Repot needed?

[Joyce184]

This is one of the paphs I bought a few weeks ago and it seems to be doing quite well where I've placed it. I see a lot of charcoal bits in the medium and there is a lot of growth. I can't really get my finger down in there to see how wet the medium is a few days after watering. Would now be the time to repot the plant?

[jrfehon]

Hi Joyce,

It's tough to tell from your photo if your paph needs to be repotted. It looks though that you're probably okay for a while. There's a good amount of room on either side of the plant to put out new growths and paphs do like to be a bit snug in the pot. Some people prefer to repot every orchid after they buy it just so they know what's going on with the roots. Others will wait until the proper time in the growth cycle. Just a personal preference. My thought is that unless the bark is breaking down or there are visible signs of root issues it's not worth repotting until the right time in the growth cycle. Again, personal preference.

-Jason

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Hi Joyce, Healthy looking paph orchid you have there. I would agree with Jason. Right now that orchid looks fine, but my rule of thumb is to repot every new orchid into the mix that works best with my watering schedule. That way, I know: 1. What is going on with the roots. and 2. When the orchid was last repotted so I can make sure to put it on a schedule for repotting in two to three years. Should you repot? - Only if you want to. It looks healthy enough to be left alone.

Cheers,
BD

[Joyce184]

Thanks Jason and Bruce! I'll leave it alone since both of you agree that it looks fine.

Bruce- I remember reading those two points elsewhere on this forum and that is why I had to ask Buuuut since this is one of my first paphs and I'm afraid of killing it, I'll lean on the side of better safe than sorry and ask the experts