So, here's an example. Yesterday I bought this mini phal at HD and immediately took out the hunk of sphagnum it was in, conservatively cut off dead roots, and put it back in its pot with a loose mix of aliflor (clay pellets) because I will wet it daily. If I were to water well weekly (as in the YouTube video), I would have used a bark mix (with charcoal, perlite and rocks).

I have repotted 5 Phals and a Catt into bark mix while they were in full bloom and they all are doing great. They have even opened new blooms since the repotting. So I really feel fine with repotting while the plant is blooming. Even think they liked having water run all over their roots. They look better now than prior to the repotting.

Here is a picture of the one I have. The preview cut off the top of the picture.

Louise

I always repot with sphagnum now. I used to wait for the flowers to stop blooming but that can be a long time and meanwhile the roots are going downhill.

Yep, a phalaenopsis! Nice pic, Louise. Looks like there's sphagnum.

What a pretty plant Louise, I love the markings on the flowers.

I fell in love with the dark color and the speckles also. Thanks for the nice comments.

I am on dial-up and had to shut down for the last hour and teach a piano lesson. I have taught for 30 years and love the music and the students. They earned superiors in the NFMC Jr. Festival at our local college a couple of weekends ago.

I took the orchid out of the pot. The clear liner was shorter and had 8 large holes in the bottom, which stopped 2 1/2 inches from the bottom of the outside pot which had no holes in it. Is this a safe pot to use for the re-potting? The many, many roots were packed tightly in what amounted to about a half-gallon of spaghnum when I pulled it out of the roots. Many of the roots have black tips on them. Several roots were flat, obviously bad. I have no idea what I'm doing and need directions for the next steps. Since I'm on dial-up, I can't access any of the videos. The last time I asked about broadband, they said it wasn't available yet in my area. How much air space is needed around the roots when I re-pot? It was packed very tightly and couldn't get any air before because the outside pot had no holes.

Thanks for any help,
Louise

So sorry you can't watch the videos, they are really good. Maybe if you visit a friend without dial up, you can watch them. My DBF is working hard in our area to increase cable access. He's on the cable committee. So I feel your pain!

In the meantime, get a dry and chunky feeling bag of orchid medium (not broken down) at a reputable nursery supply (if I can't get to one I use a box store but I would chose them last) and buy a plastic pot a size slightly larger than the clear one (I assume you don't like the look of the liner or it is too flimsy to use as the "pot?"). Gently pull out all the sphagnum moss from between the roots. Put some medium on bottom (sometimes I use a few styrofoam peanuts instead) put the plant into the pot, setting up where you want the supports to be, and carefully add more medium around the plant and supports keeping the leaves high enough to water under the leaves and not getting the crown of the leaves wet. You may have to poke the medium into air spaces but don't pack it down hard or you could break roots. Sometimes I give the pot a shake to let the medium find its own spots to be. The plant will give you a look of relief. Be very careful but worse scenario, if you break off a spike you can enjoy it in a vase. The plant's roots are the top priority. Hope this helps.

I feel like the outside red pot is too small, as well as the clear one because the roots and spaghnum were packed incredibly tight. I had to be very careful in removing the moss. Did the tight medium cause the small black ends of the roots, just the tip?

There is a nice nursery supply about 15 miles from here where I do most of my shopping. They have a good variety of different mediums in small bags.

Do I mix the orchid mix with the spaghnum and if so, what proportions?

Louise

Speaking for myself, I would get rid of the spagnum. It not only breaks down fast, but it holds a lot of water. It makes a happy home for fungus gnats and mealybugs too. Don't over pot your plant...they like to be crowded in their pots. I was at a demonstration for repotting phals a while back, and the guy put a little bark medium in the bottom of the pot then gently screwed the roots into the pot to get them all in. Then he started adding the medium and tapping the pot on the table to get it to settle down through the roots. When it was full, he gently pressed it down. Some people use a chopstick to push the bark around the roots, but they can be damaged that way. I like to use clear orchid pots so I can see what is going on and not over water, but most nurseries don't carry them. I buy them on line or at shows, then I set the whole thing in a cache pot. when it's time to water, I can lift the inner pot out and carry it to the sink. When you go to your nursery, you might check their book rack for orchid books. There is a list of favorites in the sticky for this cubit. Hope this helps.

Why would you put the sphagnum back? You have caught the roots just in time. I'm 99% sure that the sphagnum was just starting to rot the roots (black tips). You are a lucky lady. I'll say it once more. Throw the sphagnum in the trash and say bye-bye.

I will definitely find another use for the spaghnum ! I'm back from town and I bought a bag of Schultz Orchid medium which has two kinds of aged bark, charcoal, special moisture and nutrient retaining formula. It was an 8 qt. dry size and cost $7.67. I compared it with same size MiracleGro Orchid mix, (which felt like it had a lot of moss in it) and was only $4.35. The one I bought felt mostly like very coarse bark and loose. Tomorrow, I'll find a container and see what I can do with the re-potting.

Thanks for the timely warnings!

Louise

I can't use spag, always rots my orchids roots. And ive tried coco chips which alot of orchid growers use but find they break down quickly and grow green alge or something on the chips and seem to harbour pests better than bark. (yeah i know i shouldn/t have any pests). hehe! And it says wet longer than bark causing rot if your not careful. I now use big bags of orchid pine bark nuggets and find them the best so far, have'nt had any orchids die in bark.. yet! I mix perlite and maybe lava rock or red scoria depending on the orchid with the bark.

I've only used coco chips for cyms. So far, so good.

As far as pots, I like the clear orchid pots, so I can see what's going on in the root zone. I grow my Cyms in large pine bark (hard to locate sometimes). I have several orchids that were rescues in aliflor, and they were all doing poorly, with 1 exception...Ansellia Africana. So far that one it doing ok, but not thriving. I am a firm believer that if you purchase an orchid in spagnum, repot soon! My dens. seem to be doing well in coco chips. I'm not finding that they hold water too long, and they do last longer than pine bark. The only problem I have with them is that they are too light to support a top heavy den. I'm experimenting with prepared chunky mix for my Cats, and a finer prepared mix for Oncs. and terrestials. The chunky mix is Black gold, and I dont recall the name of the fine one at the moment. I'm also using the chunky mix for my Phals...the one in the net pot dries out too fast. I'm certainly open to any suggestions, critiques, especially on the Ansellia!

It all sounds good to me, Carol. I have the tipsy problem with my aliflor, too. Sometimes putting the pot into a heavier pot keeps them balanced. I like the clear pots, too.

I use the shallow orchid pots, i find the smaller the pot the orchid can fit into the better. The only problem i usually have with orchids is rot, usually from to much rain as there just under shadecloth, except in winter i add plastic.
I add rock in the bark/perlite mix if i need the pot to be heavier, mostly for my paphs. Most of my other orchids are in hanging pots so they can be light.
Wish i could buy Alifor here, can't find nothing like it though.
I like the mesh pots for dens and Vandas which give more air circulation and expose there roots.
I do have a heap of Stanhopeas in spag. lined wire pots that dry out to quick and im thinking of putting them in paper bark lined pots instead.

Never thought of lining with paper! Love the mesh pots, too.

Bree, it is available in your country, here is one manufacturer. Search under other names, Hydroton (Trade Name) or variations of light expanded clay pellets/balls or LECA abbreviated form of their make up and how they are known in some circles.

http://www.nutrifield.com.au/m...

Thanks ironwood, nice profile pic. hehe!