Repotting Orchids Properly
admin February 22nd, 2010
Orchids are one of the most beautiful flowers. But taking care of orchids is not as easy as for other plants. They are quite sensitive and repotting orchids has to be done properly. Here are a few useful tips.
If you are recycling an old or used pot, soak it in a little bleach and water mixture. Once it is thoroughly soaked, rinse it and give it a few days to dry out. You want it totally dry before you proceed. If the pot is brand new, just soak it in water for a little while.
After the pot is ready, you need to get the inside ready with a good-sized layer of plastic foam. The plastic foam peanuts work great when repotting orchids. Place the peanuts at the bottom of the pot. It helps the new repotted orchid’s roots get adequate drainage. This is important for your orchid to thrive. You can also wet the potting mix. It is best to do that with boiling water. Let the soil set and cool back down. Then add the soil to the pots.
Moving Your Orchids To The New Pot
Well, your orchid is ready for the big move now – right? Just turn the orchid upside down and gently tap on the sides of the pot. Sometimes the roots will stick to the side of the pot. Be careful and get a butter knife to loosen the roots from the side. If you damage a few roots, it won’t kill your plant, but do be careful and gentle.
Then, shake off as much of the dirt stuck to the plant as you can, but some will remain stuck to the roots.
Repotting orchids is a great time to do a little below-the-earth care of your orchid. You need to take a little time and trim off any of the dead and rotting roots. You will know which ones are dead by the brownish color and mushy feeling. The healthy roots are white and firm. Once you have trimmed the roots you can place the orchid in the newly prepared pot.
Proper Placement When Repotting Orchids
When you place the orchid in the new pot, be observant to where the new growth is facing. You want the new growth facing outward. It should be positioned so that it is pointing to the part of the pot that only has dirt. It is important for the roots so that they have some room to stretch out.
Other such posts:
Phalaenopsis orchid care
Phalaenopsis orchids seldom grow to big for their pots. But it is still good to change the substrate every two years to prevent mold and fungi to infect the medium. Only water scarcely for the first few weeks after repotting.
Repotting Orchids Properly
Repotting orchids properly. Spring is the best time of year to repot and split orchids and at Writhlington spring starts early. One plant that needed drastic attention was this old plant of Odontoglossum cristatum. A lovely cool growing species from Colombia.
Most Complete Orchid Forum
You might be interested in going to Lady Green Garden Centre the last weekend in Feb – they are having an orchid show where, if memory serves, they do repotting demos, and general orchid care… might be interesting!
A garden of orchids
The free show will feature demonstrations on orchid care and repotting all day and will have orchid plants, books and supplies for sale. For more information, visit www.bataviaorchidsociety.org. Alicia Spates’s blog.
Orchids have Arrived
After taking care of the orchids whenever your folks traveled I understand why John liked spending time in that greenhouse." Right before I left I showed Lou all I knew about repotting orchids. We repotted three orchid plants.
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- Comments(1)
[...] Repotting orchids properly. I would recommend waiting to repot the phalaenopsis until after the blooms all fall off. Until then, keep a watchful eye on the sphagnum moss and the leaves. Moss breaks down fairly quickly and when it does it compacts around the roots, keeping the roots wet too long which can lead to the roots rotting. If the leaves begin to wilt and/or shrivel, that would indicate you need to repot as soon as possible because the roots are rotting. [...]