Is this NoId Nobile Den Too Pot Bound?

[Orchidementia]

It's going out of bloom, and I'm thinking I should repot it; it's in the mix I bought in it for one, and for another, it seems too pot bound. I'm a little worried that I might upset the new growth. Opinions?

Thanks!

[butt0n]

I'd probably repot it once the blooms are done. Those new canes will get huge by next spring so you might need the extra space.

[sandra]

Dends love to be tight in their pots. What you can do is put the entire pot in a larger pot. Fill it more than half way with styrofoam peanuts and the rest with bark. You can also add a layer of bark to the top. That's what I recently did with my Dend and it's adjusting really well. I had to change the medium in mine after it being in the same bark for a couple of years and ended up putting it into too large a pot where it wasn't doing well. I then switched back to the original size it was in and put that pot into a larger one and did what I suggest you do. You don't have to change the medium unless the bark is breaking down, just put the whole pot as it is now, into a larger one.

Keep it tight.

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by butt0n

I'd probably repot it once the blooms are done. Those new canes will get huge by next spring so you might need the extra space.

I hope you're right! Those canes were noticeably smaller just last week - it's be great if they all bloomed next year.

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by sandra

Dends love to be tight in their pots. What you can do is put the entire pot in a larger pot. Fill it more than half way with styrofoam peanuts and the rest with bark. You can also add a layer of bark to the top. That's what I recently did with my Dend and it's adjusting really well. I had to change the medium in mine after it being in the same bark for a couple of years and ended up putting it into too large a pot where it wasn't doing well. I then switched back to the original size it was in and put that pot into a larger one and did what I suggest you do. You don't have to change the medium unless the bark is breaking down, just put the whole pot as it is now, into a larger one.

Keep it tight.

I was thinking about repotting in a pot the size of the clay pot the plastic one is sitting in (only an orchid pot, of course). The bark does look like it's breaking down ... any way of being sure? I don't want to stress it with my dumbness! Thanks!

Gorgeous plants, by the way!

[sandra]

I would repot it when you start seeing roots growing, especially Dends., before it flowers, not after. You can repot after flowering but the plant will acclimate faster if you do it while new roots and growth are sprouting.

I keep mine in a plastic pot though, there's no reason why you can't use clay, just preference is why. If you find that the plant is retaining more moisture than usual, if the bark is soggy and, if you know the plant's been in the same medium for 2 or more years, chances are, it needs repotting.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

For bark or coconut chips, put your finger on top and press down. If your finger goes in (being careful not to stab roots with finger nails), it is time to repot. If it meets a great deal of resistance, you can wait another year. I would not go bigger in pot size.

I don't like pots with slits on the side, especially clay pots with slits on the sides. Orchids may grow well in such a pot, but when it is time to repot, you may have trouble getting the plant out of the pot. If roots adhere to the sides of clay pots, a remedy to do the least damage is to take a sterilized knife and run it around the inside of the pot to free the roots from the clay with the least damage. With roots growing out the slits, this will take off a lot of roots. A plastic pot on the other hand can be flexed to free up the roots from the pot with zero damage.

[11Orchid126]

I agree with Sandra. I find that when I unpot my dens they have roots as dense as bricks. I don't know what happened to the medium, but it's gone. Since dens do not like to have their roots disturbed, I pot them up rather than repot them. I find a pot only slightly bigger than the one it's in, slip the plant in and tuck fresh medium around them. They bloom much better the next time by using this method.

[jerrymeola]

Nobile dens are the exception to the rule. They do not grow like other Dens.

You do not need to re-pot this one. There is plenty of room in the pot. None of the new flower canes will flower this year. The flowers will be on the old leafless canes. The new canes will flower the following year.

You can re-pot Nobiles in bloom without fear of losing the buds.

Nobile roots are usually very loose in the pot. Most are potted in coconut and the pieces even when new are soft and mushy. This is because the plant can take much greater amounts of water than other Dens. Nobile do very well in sphag as well. They do not get pot bound like other Dens.

I find it just about impossible to do anything to hurt a Nobile.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Well, I do grow my Dens in a very different mix than any of you, and I can mostly just wash the mix out and replace. But in 45 years of growing orchids, I have never heard anything about Dens not liking their roots disturbed. I repot every year, and worry not about disturbing the roots, especially as repotting this time of year means that the new growth will be providing a great many roots as replacement for any injured roots.

[11Orchid126]

Cynthia, I was surprised when I read that dens don't like to have their roots distrubed. However, I started to follow that advice and it turned out to be good avice. When I unpot my dens, their roots are so thick and entwined that it's almost impossible to try to separate them, but up to that point I always tried. When I stopped trying and just potted them up, the dens didn't sulk for a long time like they usually did after a regular repotting. They didn't skip a beat and just kept right on growing, and bloomed like mad in the winter. Of course, I grow on my windowsills, so this advice may not apply when growing in a greenhouse.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Well, the one culture fact that I discovered by experience is that most Dens (not much experience with nobiles) resent a lot of moisture when dormant, mostly winter, and potting 'up', leaving the old mix in place and going to a bigger pot, seems would make the needed thorough drying out in winter a bit more iffy. If it is working for you, well and good, but others should be aware of the need to dry out well when dormant, meaning no growth and no blooms.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by Orchidementia

Is this NoId Nobile Den Too Pot Bound?

Definitely not. My nobile-type is about 24 inches tall and is in a 3 inch pot.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

Well, the one culture fact that I discovered by experience is that most Dens (not much experience with nobiles) resent a lot of moisture when dormant, mostly winter

I couldn't agree more. My one difference though is I don't water these frequently even in summer, probably every 6-7 days. They love a good, heavy watering this time of year and a very dry pot by the time it's ready for more watering. I water about every 2 weeks in winter, sometimes, longer. Dends. weren't my first choice to begin with but I've had more success with them than any other orchid. I keep cringing and biting my tongue (as I'm not doing now) when I read how members are watering and watering their Dend. Cathy Beck's so often but as pointed out, 'if it works for them'.....

[Orchidementia]

Thanks, everyone. It's in bark and it does 'poke' easily, but I'll wait to refresh the medium. When I do, I'll use the same size pot. In the meantime, I put it outside so it can get a lot of light and the new canes have grown noticeably!