Very carefully.

Even if you damage the roots, they should be OK. I've taken some out of the trees (too quickly) when a freeze was forecast and haven't lost orchids because of it. They may need a little time to recover, but they'll be fine.

Kate

Katie, if you have the time to prepare, soak the roots that are attached to the tree very thoroughly with water and/or water with some fungicide mixed in. If possible, soak the roots and then wrap them with plastic wrap. The soaked water will make the roots more pliable and easier to pull from the tree.

Or, now that rainy season is setting in, just go out after a good thorough soaking rain storm. Mother nature always seems to soak things better than I can.

After you get them from the tree, typical orchid repotting would take over I think. Prune the dead roots and plant parts out; then treat with some fungicide and rehang'em.

~dianne

Ok i will be very careful starryrider scared tho, ok dianne can i just put them in a wooden orchid basket with some bark chunks? I havent had luck with potting them. Hey Kate k8orlando aka solstice, i have your wall book marked also someone elses backsplash, stair risers and a large removeable "backsplash" on plexi lol if i only had time k gonna go look at the orchids with some knowledge now thanks guys.

Katie

I obviously missed this post when it was first started 4 years ago, but I'll chime in now since it's been resurrected.

Orchids are MUCH heartier than most folks believe. Yes, the flowers are dainty and easily damaged, but the main plant is a tough one. You can literally yank the orchids from the tree and they will survive. I have all sorts of varieties of orchids attached to trees in my garden. When they form large colonies, I break off chunks with a serrated knife and tie them onto anything with room to spare. There's no need to pre-soak the roots, but I would spray them water once they are re-tied to a new tree.

Gnarly bark is your best bet, although I've tied orchids to smooth-trunked palms with success. The bad thing about tying them to a palm is that when a frond falls, you're going to risk damaging the orchid. Tie them with brown jute twine. It's all natural and will rot away in a couple of years. By then the roots of the orchid will have firmly attached the plant. Tie them tight and ALWAYS with the new growth toward the tree.

Cattelyas and Phalaenopsis tied to a Robellenii.

Am leaving Miami in a few months and have many orchids attached to palms and an Oak. I do know that it is best to saturate the root system. But should I use an exact knife close to the root on the tree? And a suggestion to re-attach orchids is best to use stockings that are flexible and will also give with the tree as it grows. The stockings also get weak and are easy to just pull away after the plant is established.