Repotting Orchids
Repotting Orchids is a Necessity
Anyone who wants to successfully grow orchids must master the technique of repotting orchids. Orchids need frequent repotting, young plants once a year and mature plants once every two years. When repotting orchids, it is necessary to keep everything as sterile as possible. That includes your work area, tools and your hands.
The first thing you need to do when repotting orchids is to remove the plant from its old pot. This may not be an easy task if the plant has become root bound. With a plastic pot, try to loosen it initially by turning the pot upside down, and gently pulling downward. If you are lucky the plant will slide right out.
If it doesn’t, you need to try and loosen it further. Place the side of your plant pot against the edge of your workbench or table. Roll the pot along the edge while pressing firmly. You are trying to loosen the roots and soil so that the plant slides out. If it still doesn’t want to come out, you will probably need to cut the pot down one side top to bottom and then free the plant.
If you have a clay pot and the plant won’t slide out, you may need to break the pot open. Just take a hammer and pound on the pot. After it breaks apart, carefully separate the plant pot pieces from the plant.
Next, shake off any loose soil, bark, or roots. Never reuse any of the bark or soil with an orchid. If the roots are all tangled around the bark mixture, you may have to slit the roots to get rid of the dead ones and any dead bark. This will prevent root rot. Good roots will be firm while dead ones will be mushy.
While you are repotting orchids you can select new growths to plant to start new orchids. You need three growths that are together to start a new plant. After you have made a cut, apply an antifungal agent to each cut to prevent disease.
Cover the drain holes in the bottom of your new pot with sterile pieces of clay or rock. If you are planting a sympodial or multi-stemmed plant, make a mound of bark mixture against one side of the post. You should position the oldest part of the plant against the bark mound and spread the roots downward. If you repotting a monopodial, or single-stemmed plant, put your bark planting mixture in a mound in the middle and position the plant atop so that the roots trail down the sides. When repotting an orchid, if you have a tall sympodial like a Dendrobium or Cattleya, sterilize a stick with chlorine water and press it into the planting mix right next to the plant and tie the orchid to it.
However hard repotting orchids can be, when you see the plant in bloom, you will be happy you put in the extra effort, especially if you have orchids that bloom two to three months at a time.