I've had this Encyclia Green Hornet for at least 4 years, and the last 3 years it's been in this EpiWeb pot. I kept expecting to see roots working their way through the plastic web, but no roots have made it through. But the plant has grown, and bloomed generously.

Now, the pseudobulbs are getting very crowded and trying to bust out of the top of the pot. I made some vertical cuts in the web material and discovered that there are roots going into it all around, so I'm not sure I want to pull it out of the pot, or cut and remove the web material because I'll lose so many new roots.

I've soaked it and am thinking of just setting it into the new basket lined with coco fiber leaving the grey web material where it is.

Please, I'd appreciate any advice - what would you do with this?

The basket with coco fiber is too big. Cut a couple more slots in the Epiweb and slip it into a "one size up" clay pot, fill any any space with bark. They like cramped conditions.

Jim

Aw, here I was envisioning that whole huge basket full of those fat pseudobulbs . . . guess it would take years and probably not bloom until it crowded itself again?

Well gives me an excuse to go to Home Depot and shop for a pot - the medium clay pot I have won't fit and the larger one is nearly as big as the basket.

I am with Jim!

Okie dokie, thanks! Ursula, did your plants in the Epiweb get their roots through that stuff?

They're so tightly packed together, I can't even get a finger between them. But . . . two new spikes are starting up as well, so it's not exactly unhappy. I'll warm up the Ginsu knife and see how well I can cut up that EpiWeb so hopefully the new pb's can escape.

Last day at the school garden tomorrow, then two weeks to muck about in the garden to my heart's content!

Well, I managed to remove at least some of the grey EpiWeb material, and then puzzled and struggled to find something better than an ill-fitting clay pot for this guy. On the table were some random chunks of cork, pieces of window screening and some camo colored rope . . . stapled the cork pieces together with the window screening, and tied it up with the rope, and we have an expandable pot! Have yet to add a bottom piece of window screening and fill in the gaps with some bark but . . Just to show you the (nearly) finished product, which I must say we're kind of proud of:

That's a neat use of those chunks of cork, Elaine. I have never used my cork for a "basket" or raft. I just use it for vertical mounting. Now I am thinking of creating a raft/basket for some of my "heavy-weights". I have some slabs that are 4-5" thick and would easily hold anything I put on them.

Looks good, Elaine!

Thanks, Ken and Ursula. I think this application sort of shows off the pretty cork better than just mounting straight onto the cork.

(went away to watch the Utah/BYU rivalry game, but . . . well you'll see on the news, BYU's first 5 plays were turnovers and the first quarter's not over yet, it's 35-0 for Utah)

We go out to Provo for the MSU-BYU game next September or perhaps October.

I looks pretty impressive you do it yourself home crafter!

Necessity being the mother of invention here, Lindsey. I just couldn't find anything that looked "right". This is cozy enough to keep the pb's bunched together happily, but flexible enough to let them keep expanding and growing new ones.

I see more cork and lots more trips to Tropiflora in my future . . .

Very clever indeed, I like the look.