Re-Potting Notes...

18 years ago

Last night, as I was watering my bulbs... in anticipation of leaving to go up north for the Chicagoland Orchid Festival this weekend... one of the bulbs I have potted in a plastic lined basket seemed a little loose. It currently has no leaves, and I was under the assumption that it was resting... anyway, I jiggled it a bit, and it came away from the soil it was sitting in!

It had only a couple of healthy, but short, roots left... the rest of the root system was quite rotten and almost indistinguishable from the soil. The soil, itself, was the old mix I had been using when I started my bulb obsession... which was last fall, so the soil was not that old! The soil was a mix of MiracleGro potting soil and coco-peat, with perlite and charcoal in small amounts.

Granted, the basket liner had no drainage holes, but I've been extremely careful in watering it, knowing that drainage was an issue.

The second bulb in the basket had fared a little better, and had a few more roots, but the majority of them were rotted and gone.

I promptly located two clay pots, cleaned up the bulbs, and dusted them with a bit of Captan fungicide powder... I also dusted the basal plates with some rooting hormone powder to help initialize root growth. Then, I potted them up using my bonsai-based porous potting mix... the only medium I use now.

I have both bulbs under lights, and I'm hoping to see some growth fairly soon... what I thought was a nap may, in fact, have been a response to the loss of root structure... I'm not entirely certain, of course, but we'll see how they grow now... now that they're in a better medium.

I guess this post is intended to show what can happen when drainage is not optimal... and even though I was very careful in the watering of those two bulbs in their plastic lined basket with no bottom holes, it didn't matter... that, combined with a medium that was too dense and compacted, and was decomposing at a fast rate, stayed damp or soggy for way too long, and made it impossible for the roots to "breathe" and remain healthy! They suffocated and drowned in that soil, in that container.

So... I'm very glad that I now have the necessary knowledge, and the necessary medium, to save those two bulbs, and keep all my other bulbs, happy and healthy... with robust root systems that can support the plants!

And these are my potting notes of September, 2008... as I ready myself for a weekend of choosing new orchids, and having a ball with my grandbabies!

I'm out... Peace... see you all soon!

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Comments (3)

hairy3
18 years ago
Hello jodik
Good luck with the bulbs, it happens. I remember having a large potful of Hipp Dancing Queen, one of them looked a bit sickly, so I unpotted them and found that the basal plate had rotted away completely, the rest were perfectly healthy.
Hope you enjoy the orchids! I still grow a couple, but the weather can get very cold around here and the price of heating is going through the roof. Wouldnt it be nice if someone invented a solar powered greenhouse heater ?
All the best
dont spend too much!! fatal

Andy
beetle_2007
18 years ago
Hi Jodi,
Glad you noticed that right away!I had that happen to a Snow Queen pup, and had to repot [to clay] Thankfully, it now is on the grow!
How Exciting to go find more Orchids!!do you know what you are getting,[or will they just shout "take me home!" lol,thats usually what happens for me. Over the last few years, before i knew about watering, Ive killed four Phals. I think its time to replace them he he! Good luck on your hunt!!
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jodik_gw
Original Author
18 years ago
Since I now know the right medium and watering habits, among other things, are the keys to successful bulb growing, I have it all under control... my problem is, I've been lazy in re-potting some of my earlier purchased bulbs... I should have re-potted most of them this past spring, but was too busy with outdoor gardening work.

Before it gets too cold out, I will re-pot several of the more needy bulbs, which are the ones in poor medium mixes. The ones that don't require a new medium can wait until next spring.

Orchids... ah, yes... what a thrill it was to walk into the doorway of 20,000 square feet of glassed greenhouses filled with every orchid imaginable! It was like a trip to heaven for me! I only went to the show for one day, the opening day, which was Friday. I didn't expect it to be too busy or packed with people, since Friday is a work day... I was right! I had the whole place practically to myself, and I wandered the different glasshouses for hours, snapping photos and choosing orchids to buy... what a great afternoon!

For those who love orchids, Oak Hill Gardens in Dundee, Illinois is the place to go! The prices are incredibly fair and reasonable, almost downright cheap! The selection is incredible, and the owners are wonderful, helpful people! I got a chance to visit with the owner of Cal-Orchids for a bit... and walked away with a new Paph, in bud, for a great price! I wandered through the guest grower area, scoping out everything they had to offer... nice stuff!

Even Larry had a good time, exclaiming over the weird and wonderful world of orchids! I came away with about a dozen plants for the whopping price of around $60.00! I got 3 Phals, a Paph, a Cym, 3 Catts, 3 Encyclias, and 1 Epidendrum! Not a bad haul, if I do say so myself! Several of the plants are in bud or sheath, and one of the Phals is in full flower... just gorgeous!

I had a wonderful time at the Orchid Show! And then... the car broke down. Yep... we wound up staying an extra 2 days because of car trouble. It gave us two extra days of visiting with the kids and grandkids, so it was actually kind of nice! And my son helped Larry fix the car, so it all worked out in the end.

I can't wait until the next Orchid Festival in the area! You can bet I'll be there! And now... I have to save some dollars to put toward bulbs... I would have had some leftover from the orchid show, but alternators for Fords aren't cheap!