First - if you're repotting in sphag, have you checked out the process - wetting the sphag thoroughly, then squeezing out most of the water before repotting? Perhaps putting a "plug" of sphag up in the root ball, depending on the orchid?

For a bark mix - soaking for 24 hours, perhaps with a drop or two of Dawn to help wet the bark? When I use bark - infrequently because my conditions are dry, I don't drain it before putting it in the new pot and then let the pot drain for about an hour before moving it to low light.

Repotme.com is one resource.

Also, those who use bark routinely may have different info.

For either medium, maybe some styrofoam peanuts or other material for drainage in the bottom of the pot.

Returning to full light - what I've read & heard most often, and what's worked for me, is to put the repotted orchid in low light for 7 days and then return to full light all at once.

Low light - here, the orchids go on the far side of book shelves about 10' away from the window and artificial light. Even orchids needing the lowest light wouldn't grow there.

Repotting can be stressful for an orchid. If you have trimmed any roots, a week gives the raw ends time to harden off in the barely damp medium. If you water the medium before that, the roots are susceptible to rot.

My orchids go back in full light after a week with no apparent disadvantages. No misting during that time. However, some folks gradually introduce their repotted orchids to full light over 7-14 days.

Does this answer your questions? Let us know how it goes.

Whitecat8

Here is a link that might be useful: Repotme.com repotting info

I guess either I'm sloppy or have too many orchids but I put them back in their original location. I water thoroughly after repotting and then water as needed.

Brooke

I'm with Brooke,

Unless there were issues that caused the repotting, back to the original spot for me also. A stressed plant after a repot goes into weak light for a week and then to it's new/old location depending on what I'm doing.

I water heavily when repotting if needed, the media is usually very wet anyhow on a repot for me, and then water again in 5-7 days. I try not to let it dry out completely, pretty much standard fare for watering all my 'kids.

Bob

Oooh I am glad I got a response..,quickly too.
I repotted in bark, charcoal, perlite, tree fern and aliflor. I threw them all together just to make sure but did not soak for 24 hours. Did not soak at all but watered well under tap. All of my 100 orchids. Dends, catts, oncs, schomburgs, enclyclias, and I even added rooting hormone to the water. T

Then I put the schom back in original place, sunny, but all the others went to a lower light place.

I did trim some mush roots, but most of them had new roots coming out, that's why I repotted. Some roots were mushy though bz sometimes I forget which ones I repotted and which ones I didn't, so they stay until the next year. Some I noticed had a thick, tight wad of spag moss jammed up into the bottom of the plant, and I even used a tweezer, but I couldn't get it out without damaging the roots of the oncidiums especially. A lot of small roots were growing all around the base of the orchid, on top of the spag. So I repotted in the mix mentioned above although it still had some of the spag wadded up in the middle. Wierd, I thought.

A few catts I mounted (they are very big plants) bz roots were gone so I put them on the cork mounts and have been misting every day in a low light corner.

Did I do everthing right. I read REPOTME and it is good info. Thanks a lot. It even has pictures.

Please let me know where I am wrong bz I love, love my orchids and do not want to see them die.

I really appreciate the responses and want you all to know that I haunt this forum every day.

Orchids are marvelously adaptable to humans' varying methods. :)

Maybe others can weigh in on the ingredients of your bark mix and whether it needs to be soaked now, while in the pots.

My experience w/ catts and mounted catts is zip.

As for the sphag up in the middle of the roots, too bad it's in there so tightly, and yeah, for fine roots, it can be impossible to get out. The roots will be fine.

Thanks a lot for all the responses.
I spritz the mounties each day unless it rains which has heen only one time and not for long.

Hi WC, good to see you back!

I soak bark and sphag before using. Sometimes I dump a bag of chips into a bucket and let it soak for a week until I repot.

Jane