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marissa_brown50

Orchid Repotting??

4 years ago

My phalanoepsis orchid definitely needs to be repotted. I was going to do it last spring but it ended up producing a stem and then blooming before I did so. Oops. This is the third year I have had it and I have never repotted.
My question is should I repot now or wait until spring? It dropped it's flowers but it's producing a new branch off the old stem. I have had this orchid for a while but I still feel like a beginner lol.
Thanks in advance!!

Comments (13)

  • 4 years ago

    On a secondary note - this is the potting mix I got!  I'm hoping it's a good one ᾑE

  • 4 years ago

    I love the RepotMe products. They do tend to "settle" in shipping so I recommend you pour it all into a bucket or tub and re-mix it before attempting the repot so that you get a bit of each of the ingredients throughout the pot.

    If it were my orchid, I would repot it now before those roots in the pot start to get worse.


  • 4 years ago

    Its not the best time to repot. I always wait until Spring when growth resumes. I would cut those old spikes off....I know people like to keep those old spikes to one or two flowers, but not me. I cut them off when the main bloom is finished, usually March/April. Off with their heads!


    I do all my major repotting when leaf growth starts, in Spring.


    Jane

  • 4 years ago

    Hello everyone! Thank you so much for replying - I very much appreciate it!
    I appreciate your comment Billsc and I definitely see your point.  I am located in North Central Texas (Dallas area)- where it was 33 degrees last night but will be 80 degrees tomorrow lol.  Needless to say - my orchid stays inside!
    I do appreciate your suggestions as well.  I never thought to compare the location of another orchid grower when reading or watching videos about orchids.  I will definitely keep that in mind from now on as it's a very good point.

  • 4 years ago

    My orchid does follow a good schedule.  However I do generally get two rounds of flowers off my main stem and that definitely throws off the calendar.  However, I usually get new growth in the spring and flowers in fall.  
    I also just checked out a couple of orchid books from the library!  So whenever I decide to repot I'll be ready and have pictures to follow!!

  • 4 years ago

    Marissa, Bill gives good advice! Location is so very important. Although my screen name says, Jane NY, I moved to Florida 10 yrs ago. There was a huge growing curve. However, I have grown Phals for a very long time. After you become adept at growing them you begin to get fussy about what you want from the plant. The first thing is learning the culture of growing them. The best place to learn is from a local Orchid Society where you meet other people, like yourself, in your area, and learn the techniques they use to get good growth and flowers.


    When I lived and grew orchids in NY, I reached a point where I became comfortable growing them successfully and then moved on to growing them in a way where they became beautiful and I focused on presentation. I wanted them to look as they did when I loved how they looked in the store.


    So, Bill is right. Always give your location, it is very important.


    Growing them in the frigid North took time to get the culture right. When I finally figured it out, I moved to presentation. I didn't want a long, old stem with a few flowers at the end. I learned from others to cut those off and let the plant make new spikes full of flowers. I was amazed at the difference. It became a passion and eventually a weird business. I grew Phals for various offices, doctor, dentist, businesses. They would give me their plants when they finished flowering and I would take care of them and reflower them and return them to the various businesses.


    So, I always advise to cut the spikes off when they become naked with just a few flower buds. I cut off spikes with lots of flowers to give the plant months of growing new leaves, getting energy going into the cooler weather. This is when Phals change growing leaves, to the final state of growth which is producing flower spikes. I stake and train those spikes so the plant makes a beautiful presentation of flowers along the spike.


    I'm sorry if I implied that spikes should be removed if making buds or branches off the spike. They will. But the final presentation will not be the same. The important part is learning how to grow your Phal in your environment and then move to how you want your flowers to look.


    Jane

  • 4 years ago

    Hi Marissa!

    Not sure if you‘ve already repotted your super-healthy orchid yet but you definitely should! i agree that you don’t need to wait, cut the old spike, and just make sure you have a larger pot for it. soak all of those roots in a large container or bucket for about 30 minutes in room temp water (pot should be completely under warer). It will make it much easier to clean off the roots and and get them in new medium.


  • 4 years ago

    Sorry y'all!  I got a new phone and didn't reinstall the app! I missed some comments as a result.
    Thank you so much for the advice! I did cut the spike and I'm about to repot - I'm very worried/excited lol.  Thanks for all the advice - y'all are wonderful and I feel pretty prepared.

  • 4 years ago

    I have a similar problem. I have a super healthy white phal (I rescued it on extreme markdown from the grocery store because its flowers were fading but it had a lot of healthy leaves). I've had it a few years and it blooms enormous numbers of blooms every summer. I can tell the bark is breaking down and it needs repotting which I was going to do in February or March as we got into spring--but now I see a new spike just starting up. I don't want to wait, especially since its blooms tend to be very long-lasting, so I'm thinking I should quick repot it right away.


    Right?

  • 4 years ago

    Depending on where you live, I never recommend repotting in winter. Leave it be and wait for longer daylight hours. Plants can't grow and heal from repotting. No matter how carefull you are you will damage roots. Growth starts in Spring.


    Jane

  • 4 years ago

    In Snohomish, north of Seattle, so I'm fairly far north. Our winters are very overcast and our summers are rather cloudless so after some trial and error, I've learned that I need to set my phal right by a south-facing window in winter and then move it away during the brightest part of summer for it to be healthy (even though in theory you're not supposed to move them, this is what it likes best).


    Obviously it's a houseplant, but outdoor plants start spring growth in February because our winters are mild.

  • 4 years ago

    Actually, the orchid is showing a fair amount of growth right now (including that new spike) so maybe this is the right time...

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