Do I have to repot my orchid immediately after getting it...
I’ve heared different things about this topic and wanted to hear y’all’s opinion my orchid is currently in full bloom that’s why I’m wondering if it’s okay because I know it causes the plant a lot of stress I’ve also attached photos of the roots because I’m unsure if my plant is healthy or not some roots don’t look too good to me but I’m not sure that’s why I’m asking for help, thank you in advance #PhalaenopsisOrchid #orchidhelp
5” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 weeks ago
7
Best Answer
It kinda depends. If you have other plants to worry about, repot is always a good idea in case your new plant came with something. If you don’t, the plant can generally continue to be healthy in that pot/medium if you are extremely careful about your watering (controversial, but I’ve definitely done it before without issue)… for a plant that size in that pot, it would probably need 1/4 c water a week and is likely to rot if you give it more than that (due to densely packed sphagnum holding on to moisture and restricting airflow to the roots).
The better thing to do is definitely a repot though. I have enough plants that I always repot new plants to both assess the roots and protect the rest of my collection. For plants that I received in bloom or in spike, I haven’t seen any negative effects from repotting them (though I always use sphagnum or mostly sphagnum as my medium). So I would recommend getting yourself a bag of 5A (AAAAA) premium New Zealand sphagnum moss. Water the plant thoroughly to saturate the medium and the roots (you want to make everything more pliable), then pull it out of the pot (or cut the pot if it won’t pull out). Use a fork (or a root hook, if you have one) to gently break up the medium and pull it away from the roots… get as much medium off as you can without damaging the plant (some of it will be permanently stuck to the roots and cause damage if removed), and cut away anything that is black or mushy using sterilized scissors). Get a hunk of your dried sphagnum and soak it in water, then squeeze out the excess like a sponge. Then repot loosely with sphagnum; the goal is to allow for a certain amount of airflow inside your container while having enough moss to keep the roots nice and humid, and you can always add more sphagnum or some filler like orchid bark if you realize there are big open gaps in the pot. Drainage holes don’t really matter as long as you don’t overwater, but I would recommend using something clear that gives you visibility to the plant’s roots so you can visually assess the root health and pot humidity.
The better thing to do is definitely a repot though. I have enough plants that I always repot new plants to both assess the roots and protect the rest of my collection. For plants that I received in bloom or in spike, I haven’t seen any negative effects from repotting them (though I always use sphagnum or mostly sphagnum as my medium). So I would recommend getting yourself a bag of 5A (AAAAA) premium New Zealand sphagnum moss. Water the plant thoroughly to saturate the medium and the roots (you want to make everything more pliable), then pull it out of the pot (or cut the pot if it won’t pull out). Use a fork (or a root hook, if you have one) to gently break up the medium and pull it away from the roots… get as much medium off as you can without damaging the plant (some of it will be permanently stuck to the roots and cause damage if removed), and cut away anything that is black or mushy using sterilized scissors). Get a hunk of your dried sphagnum and soak it in water, then squeeze out the excess like a sponge. Then repot loosely with sphagnum; the goal is to allow for a certain amount of airflow inside your container while having enough moss to keep the roots nice and humid, and you can always add more sphagnum or some filler like orchid bark if you realize there are big open gaps in the pot. Drainage holes don’t really matter as long as you don’t overwater, but I would recommend using something clear that gives you visibility to the plant’s roots so you can visually assess the root health and pot humidity.
My friend just got hers as well!
What I did with mine and have her doing with hers is wait until the flowers pass the repot! Repotting before the flowers have lived their cycle will send the plant into shock and you’d have less time with the flowers.
I’d even wait as far as until the flowers stalks have passed! Sometimes it’ll push out new growth ♥️
What I did with mine and have her doing with hers is wait until the flowers pass the repot! Repotting before the flowers have lived their cycle will send the plant into shock and you’d have less time with the flowers.
I’d even wait as far as until the flowers stalks have passed! Sometimes it’ll push out new growth ♥️
@roboatsss with watering too, just like the cork dry out like 95% then water again…
If those roots sit in too much water they will rot 😅
If those roots sit in too much water they will rot 😅
@roboatsss yeah I think the roots of mine are too wet also I made an update post and it seems like my orchid has spider mites🫠😖 guess I’ll have to repot anyway unfortunately
@ZestyWhiteghost this is actually my second orchid my first is at my moms house I sadly couldn’t take it with me after moving ,after my initial care the orchid is still thriving at my moms house. Mine unfortunately has spider mites that I’m currently treating and after that I’ll hopefully have a wonderful and happy orchid 😄
Just wait. Those roots are 😍. When the flowers are spent then repot. I like spaghnum as my growing medium in a SMALL terracotta pot.