Should I repot twice if I made a mistake??

[tdewiggins]

Hey guys,

Need advice on if I should repot again even though I just did it yesterday. My oncidium is in the growth phase (3 new growths) and I made the mistake of not taking off all the old medium from the roots...wasn't sure abt this since it was my first time...

Do you think it's a good idea for me to redo this or will my oncidium be too stressed? Also how quickly would I know that it's not taking to the repot if I did leave as is?

Thank you!

[Fishmom]

I think it would depend on how much medium was left and how badly deteriorated it was. If you shook off most of the old medium and it was not too bad, don't worry about it. If you found a lot of rot, then I'd be more concerned about getting more of the old medium off. As I recall, your plant was generally healthy, just getting crowded, so probably not too big a problem. That said, a repot on the second day shouldn't make a big difference to your plant as it is still adjusting to its new home.

Keep an eye on the base of your plant. You should see the growth of the new roots continue, and maybe another new lead start. That will show you the plant is doing well.

[Emma Grey]

To echo Fishmom, if you shook out most of the old medium and/or rinsed the roots before repotting, it's probably fine. When I repot, I don't get every piece of the old medium out because the roots become attached to it. I'd rather leave some pieces of bark than end up ripping roots in an attempt to get all of the old medium off of the roots. Make sense?

[tdewiggins]

Thanks fishmom and emmagray - yes, totally makes sense. GOing to leave as is as most of the medium was out.. First time makes for a very anxious time!

[koshki]

Well, I am one of those obessive-compulsives when it comes to repotting...I have literally spent HOURS trying to get all the old rotted dead stuff out. Have not seen any ill effects, and some plants have seemed to responded very well to a nice clean new beginning!

I doubt taking it out of the pot again today would do any harm.