repotting advice for coelogyne rochussenii

[catasetum-ian]

hi,
i got a pot of coelogyne that is basically overgrown the pot that it is it, just need some advice here on what is the best way to repot it? got this plant after i saw an internet pic of the bloom where two pots were hang high up and as the bloom they form a "white curtain" like structure.

so what should i do from here?
1. dig the whole plant out and repot ( this would cause certain degree of root damage as they are tightly adhered to the pot)
2. dig the whole plant out, divide into two or three individual plants?
3. let let the entire pot sit in a bigger pot
..........sigh...what to do.................

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Since it is such a nice, big plant, and since it is in a plastic pot, here is what I would do.

1. soak the entire root mass and plastic pot in water for 15 - 20 minutes.
2. take a utility knife and cut the plastic pot into several large pieces so to remove the plant from the container
3. Pull apart gently the orchid letting it divide naturally.
4. pot it up in a basket or baskets with a new moisture retaining mix.

Hope that helps!

cheers,
BD

[catasetum-ian]

thanks for your advice Bruce. happy new year.
and asking for your personal opinion, if this were to be your plant, would you divide it into 2 or 3 divisions or leave it as it is? thnaks in advance.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

I like to have larger plants, but pull off some small divisions for trades. This one looks like it has a few 'loose' growths that I would pot up for a trade if they came away from the plant easily. Otherwise, I would repot it in a basket and let it grow. The blooms are always so impressive from larger specimen plants in my opinion. I am sure others might disagree.

cheers,
BD

[catasetum-ian]

I like to have larger plants, but pull off some small divisions for trades. This one looks like it has a few 'loose' growths that I would pot up for a trade if they came away from the plant easily. Otherwise, I would repot it in a basket and let it grow. The blooms are always so impressive from larger specimen plants in my opinion. I am sure others might disagree.

cheers,
BD

thanks for the advice and i second on the part about larger specimens have more impressive blooms. will try to pull a bulb or two off if i can. thank you very much for your advice. will repot it tomorrow. cheers

[catasetum-ian]

well, took me almost one hour to repot this one. luckily the plastic pot is giving away and can tear it off piece by piece. despite the hard work, the good news is basically i just broke 2 ROOTS only.
first pic showing part of the plastic pot being teared off
second pic, final product, leaving one big fragment of the plastic pot there, couldn't remove this one without breaking the roots and i was very happy with whatever portion of the pots that had been removed with well preserved roots
pic three, polystyrene cubes as base (the rest is about 45% charcoal with 45% CHC)
last pic, final product (courtesy of Maxilite)......just joking on this one, i am using a recycle base coat drum

thanks for the advice Bruce, here is the bear HUGssssssssssssss

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Hahah - love the designer orchid pot, Ian. Glad to offer any help. How deep is that bucket? (Hard to judge scale in photos - the plant looks to be potted in the correct location depth wise.) But if the bucket is more than two inches deeper than your old pot, I hope you put lots of that foam stuff in the bottom and several holes so that it can drain well.

That orchid plant is going to be a monster before long. Nice work!

Cheers,
BD

[catasetum-ian]

the new bucket is 8.5inches deep, exactly 2 inches deeper compare to the previous one and the diameter is also 2 inches larger as well. i would prefer a slightly larger diameter bucket with similar depth but couldn't find one. i hope it would have the chance to grow into a monster specimen before it flowers.

[paphioboy]

Rochussenii is quite a fast grower and doesn't like to be disturbed often. IMHO, I would use a shallow clay pot with many holes at the sides for the roots to cling to, instead of the bucket, which I think is too deep (and heavy).

[Jef09071984]

I like your Rochussenii a lot, hmmm but whats with the uneven leaves color.....