This is my Den. spectabile

[chidfix]

Bought this in Mid-July. Is anybody growing this with any success? I was wondering if I should Re-pot or just hold off a little longer, I have heard these can bloom anytime between September and April and would hate to risk it. I have kept this outside in High Light conditions alongside my catts, with no shelter from rain. It is currently in a bark mix and worried it could be staying to wet. Any input will be appreciated.

[orchids4me]

I have some flask babies 1 year out of flask growing in seedling tray starter pans. Funny thing I was out of sphag when they arrived so they are in a coir charcoal perlite mix. But the holes are small 1" x1" x 2" deep so they do dry out in like a week when th weather is warm longer when the weather is cool. I have some newer ones same pans in a bark mix being the holes are small I can't seem to keep them moist enough so in a bigger pot I'd reccomend sticking with the maybe med and fine bark mix mixed you're more humid in florida than here.
As for repotting I'd wait until you see new roots growing so they can establish better so maybe come spring would be best time.
I'm interested in what others have to say. But keep in mind I'm on the west coast so its much dryer here in my conditions.

[kmarch]

It looks fine to me. It looks like it is due for a repot though. When you do that you'll be able to see how the roots are doing and if it is staying too wet or not.

[Fishmom]

That's a nice, healthy looking plant! However, the roots can go bad quickly if the medium is broken down. I may have killed mine this year by waiting too long to repot. It was blooming, and I didn't want to repot until the blooms were spent. When I finally got to it, pretty much all of the roots were gone. I'm currently trying to generate some new roots with the plant suspended just at the top of some spagh. If you aren't sure about the medium, I'd repot just to check it!

[syndywindy]

I have one that is doing well, but has not bloomed yet. It is not quite as large as yours is though. I've had it a little over a year, not sure though how large they have to be in order to bloom.

[pikkumyy]

oh i am sooo jealous, i really want one of these, the flowers are just incredible.

good luck with the repot, and it would be great if you could take some picture

[ArtGeekMark]

We have a young plant, perhaps 8 or 9 inches tall now, it was 4 inches tall when we got it this past spring. Yours looks healthy, and you may want to repot within the year or soon like others suggested. Happy growing!

[berkeleysgr8]

This is probably one of those "better safe than sorry" situations. Re-potting definitely won't do any harm, but waiting too long to re-pot can. I lost a bunch of orchids this year due to my laziness.

[terra_australis]

From what I have heard this is one of those plants that can be difficult to flower. I suggest repotting it. Usually a repot will breathe some vigour into plants anyway.

[FLBob]

It appears like you purchased a nice plant from a quality grower. As I look at the photos I see actively growing roots (green/brown root tips). The plant has not over grown the pot. So my first thought is that the plant is in good potting material and has room to grow in the existing pot. I would not repot. Depending on the type of potting material used you may not need to repot the plant for another year or two.

I see you are using a larger pot to stabilize the plant, good technique

South Florida weather patterns are near perfect for growing this den species. It should do well growing under a live oak where you will find the temps a bit cooler in the summer months and brighter and dryer during the winter.

[marci2lip]

I just purchased one of these on New Year's Eve that'll most likely be in full bloom in the next few days. The grower had purchased two and I snapped the last one up. Once I get past my fifth post, I'll be able to post a few pictures. I'm excited to see how it looks!