Pictures of my repotted Phal

[sanibel57]

new orchid closer.jpg

new orchid roots.jpg

new orchid 4.jpg

Well, with a lot of support from my new orchid friends, I repotted my new Phal...actually I repotted it twice. I could only find a clay pot and when I used only bark, it seemed like it dried out in a day. I had soaked the bark 24+ hours but it still dried out. It had been in moss, so I mixed some moss into the bark and repotted the orchid today. I was concerned because I am going out of town for 5 days and I didn't think it would make it!
This is what the roots used to look like.
orchids 005.jpg

Now hopefully they will do better with a little more room. The roots looked to be in good shape and there are a lot of them.

If you have any suggestions for what to do when I travel, I would appreciate them.

[englandfx]

It isn't uncommon for bark mix to dry out in a day, especially if you have the orchid outside.

There is nothing wrong with watering your bark-based-mix orchid everyday (granting you have the orchid outside where there is vast air movement and high temps to dry the mix). You just have to be more careful that your mix isn't soaking wet when night time descends.

Right now, my orchid is potted in bark with a thin layer of green moss at the top, and I have been watering it every morning, and it is doing great!

I am able to water my orchid everyday, bcuz I have my orchid outside. And the temps in the day is in high 80s to low 90s, and I have lots of airflow where I put the orchid.

[CharliesAngel51]

How do you water? I soak my orchids that are planted in bark. Most of them are in a fine bark mix. I usually soak them for about 15 minutes. I place them in a pan of water that comes up to the top of the bark in the pot. I don't let the water get up on the plant. After soaking, I let the pot drain in the sink before returning it to it's home. When fertilizing, I add the fert. to the water. I use 1 part pre mixed fert. to 3 parts water. Before putting the pot in the pan of water, run some water through it. This will help keep it from floating.

I know you can't always be home to water every day so you have to find a way to get your orchids to holds moisture longer. I usually only need to water once a week. That will probably change when the weather warms up , but for now it's is working for me.

I hope all this makes sense. Good luck.

I should have mentioned that my orchids are in clear plastic pots and are grown inside.

[fred]

good work with the repot
I am just thinking the pot is a little to large for the chid
anyone else agree with me ?

[sanibel57]

I have to say that I did think the pot may be a little too large but everything else I found was too small. I really wanted a plastic pot but couldn't find one. I felt I needed to repot before I left because it was so crowded in it's original pot and I didn't want to lose any roots. It really has a nice size root system that almost fills up the pot at the bottom but it is spacey on the top. I live in Indiana and just haven't found the orchid resources I need yet. I plan to look on line also. How frequently can you repot an orchid without stressing it out too much? Thanks for your help!

[sanibel57]

I appreciate the tips on watering. I have been soaking the pot as well as the plant since I know the clay pot will absorb the water from the plant. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for your help!

[Ron]

Hi. Looks good.
Personally I use 15mm (3/4 inch) treated pine bark. Growing in a green house.
Hot summer days I water nearly every day with a hose with a rose head sprayer on it. All watered overhead in the morning so as the foliage is dry before nightfall.
I agree with Fred, I would try and get a clear pot and repot on a size just large enough to fit the roots in.
See Photo.
Best of luck
Ron

[patticake]

It's a little large, but I have a couple that are that way, and I haven't downsized. Just be careful not to overwater...It looks a lot better than before!

[fred]

as you have already repotted this one twice I would follow the advice of Patti

if you do repot again so soon you stand to loose the flowers

what you could also do is wait until the flowering is done it gives the chid a little time to settle before you do repot again.

some members may say that you could do a repot as soon as you have a smaller pot
Phals do take to repotting pretty well I am thinking 3 times in a row could be a bit to much.


wonderful advice from the geeks as well

[CharliesAngel51]

If you can't find a plastic pot, try looking in the deli at the market. Don't you just have a yen for some potato salad or fruit salad. You can put holes in the container with a hot glue gun or a soldering iron. Also another source is plastic containers in the kitchen section of the store. The 99cent store or Dollar Tree have all sizes CHEAP. If you only need a few pots, ordering on line can be pricey due to the shipping charges.