Repotting Series I - When to Repot an Orchid

Repotting is one of the key

ingredients to successful orchid growing.

For most beginners who have never repotted an orchid, this task could

be exciting, overwhelming or even down-right stressful. On the

other hand, the seasoned growers can find repotting to be a

dreadful chore if they have go through several hundred plants every

year. We hope that our Repotting Series guides will help

you become more comfortable with repotting orchids.

When is the correct time to repot?







1) Spring time. More often

than not, spring is the best time to repot your orchids as the rising

warm temperatures will encourage new growths and new roots to sprout.

Preferably, you want to start repotting in early spring but if you need

to repot hundreds of plants and have a limited amount of time during

the weekends, you can continue repotting up until late spring.







Some experienced orchid growers have also pointed out that specific

orchids do not push out new growths in the spring

time but at other times of the year. This is an exception than the rule

and we encourage you to observe the growing habits of your orchids as

well as read more about their cultural requirements.





2) Deteriorating growing media.

An

orchid whose growing medium remains dark, compacted and have a mushy

feeling/soggy smell to it (eBay does not have the technology for

scratch-and-sniff so you will have to settle for a description at this

time), is a

prime candidate for repotting no matter what time of the year it is.

Soggy,

deteriorating media suffocates the root system of the plant which often

leads to rotten roots that equates to dead orchids.





3) Overgrown plant. Orchids

that are growing out of the pot (sympodial orchids like Cattleyas,

Dendrobiums) or just too tall to remain upright (monopodial orchids like

Vandas) are prime candidates for repotting.





4) Bareroot orchid.

Imported orchids are always shipped bareroot due to USDA/USFW

regulatory

requirements. In some instances, some sellers will intentionally remove

an established orchid from its pot and ship the plant bareroot to

reduce the shipping cost. With

bareroot plants, the roots are exposed and likely have been damaged in

transit, so it is very important to quickly re-hydrate and re-establish

the plant by potting or mounting them as soon as possible.



5) Loosely potted orchid.

A loosely potted orchid will have difficulty in getting established

because the emerging roots will always be disturbed and consequently

damaged by handling, watering, or strong ventilation.



Now that

you have a basic guideline on when to repot, the next step is to

determine what orchid media is best for your particular orchid. Before

proceeding to our next guide, Repotting Series II - Orchid Media Formulations, let us know if this guide was helpful and if you have any suggestions to help us improve it for everyone's benefit.

---

Orignal From: Repotting Series I - When to Repot an Orchid