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02-24-2008, 01:36 PM
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| Repot now, or wait? I purchased a phal in spike from a local nursery....and it's in a green pot, and all in sphag. I know that a couple roots near the surface were feeling squishy, but since it's currently in double spike, and the oldest inflorescence is full of open flowers....should I repot now, or wait??      |
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02-24-2008, 02:47 PM
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| I'd repot now. Just knowing that there's squishy stuff on top, I'd hate to see what's inside. It shouldn't hurt it to repot.
__________________ Jenny~   |
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02-24-2008, 03:01 PM
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| You are going to get many different opinions on this one. I would take it out of the pot and remove as much moss as possible without disturbing the roots tremendously. I immediately repot every Phal I bring home and have never lost a bud or flower. When I wait, however, I tend to lose the whole orchid to root rot.
__________________ "If Nothing Ever Changed, We Wouldn't Have Butterflies." |
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02-24-2008, 03:07 PM
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| I do as PhalPal. The growers can regulate the amount of water needed for a plant in spag but its very hard to do at home. If its to dry it tends to be waterphobic.(will not absorb water). When its to wet it stays "To Wet" and rots the roots. I try not to buy plants planted in spag |
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02-24-2008, 03:33 PM
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| Repot now psyc. Having squishy/dead roots at the top surface of this plant is not good. This is where you'll usually see nice, healthy roots even when things don't look too great down below. Take it out of the pot and rinse off the sphag. and if you've got some SuperThrive or other rooting stimulant, let it soak in that for at least 1/2 hour. You won't be compromising the spikes and flowers. If you've got some bark mix that's prepared (already soaked) then it's good to go. If it's not prepared, you can pour boiling water over the bark, soak for about 1/2 hour, drain and let cool. In fact, this method works better for me than letting bark soak for 24-48 hrs. Best of luck with this. Last edited by sandra; 02-24-2008 at 03:38 PM. |
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02-24-2008, 03:39 PM
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| I don't like orchids in sphagnum either, its too difficult for me to gauge when they need water. So even though I try to avoid repotting when the plant is in spike too, it's a lot easier for me to take care of them once they're in bark.
__________________ Have a Splendiforous Day!!!  |
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02-25-2008, 02:39 PM
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| Bunny I know you are new to the forum, have you been introduced to the 'Skewer Method?" It is a great tool to learning/knowing when your orchid needs watering at the root level no matter what the media you use. Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...f-orchids.html
__________________ "If Nothing Ever Changed, We Wouldn't Have Butterflies." |
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02-25-2008, 02:57 PM
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| Psyc1210, I had the exact situation a few weeks ago - purchased a phal with 2 spikes and several branches, 2 blooms and lots of buds. It was planted in sphag, which was wet. No matter what, you can't leave it in that so I repotted it into bark using the same container. It blasted big time, lost both of my blooms and most of my buds. Don't know whether that was from repotting or a new/different location but it really doesn't matter - you have to get it out of the stuff that's rotting it's roots or you could lose it. If it blasts, it will come back next season. No problemo. E-Jag |
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02-25-2008, 03:12 PM
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| E-jag in another thread I mentioned that I never have a problem with buds blasting. (fingers crossed) I mean never, and I re-pot and move my Phals all around my house. I thought maybe it was because I live in a warm weather area, but so do you. I use a coir mix and never use bark, I just don't have good luck with it. Do you think bark could be the culprit?? I'm NOT bragging; I'm trying to figure out what I do or don't do that makes a difference so we can learn from it. Have you ever used another type of medium where the buds didn't blast??
__________________ "If Nothing Ever Changed, We Wouldn't Have Butterflies." |
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02-25-2008, 03:17 PM
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| If you're brave, repot it. Otherwise, do what Phalpal suggested. This morning, I discovered the Phal my 5-yr old won at our annual OS holiday dinner succumbed to rot. The last two leaves (they're green) fell off when I was checking it.  It was in bloom when we got it, so I didn't dare repot. And, yes, it's in sphag.
__________________ Arlene |
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02-25-2008, 04:04 PM
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| I have repoted all my plants when I get them home. I have only had one problem out of hundreds that I have repoted in spike , bud or bloom. I woukd re-pot it now and not wait. Better to lose a flower then a oplant. Joe
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02-25-2008, 04:52 PM
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| Phalpal, this was my first experience with blast. In this case, the spag was wet, I had numerous rotted roots and not many options. Took me about 40 minutes to get it out of the wet sphag. It was packed tight! I left the plant bare root for a day to dry out, then put it in bark. I use bark for everything -not because I believe it's the best stuff out there but because (1) I've never had a problem with it and (2) I've not been able to find coir around here, though I'm sure it must be. Usually I don't repot while a plant is blooming but sometimes ya gotta!! I believe what most people here have said, that repotting a phal ANYTIME is typically safe. On this particular occasion, it wasn't. I'm sure it was me, stressing the bejesus out of it and it responding negatively. This has happened fairly often with my wife so I recognize the symptoms. The plant is doing well now and growing a few new buds and another branch so maybe it's going to put on a small show. Perhaps this wouldn't have happened with coir, don't know. Still want to try it, and will. E-Jag |
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02-25-2008, 07:27 PM
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| Ejag, don't know if you're growing in or outdoors but just know that coir retains a lot of moisture, a lot more than bark and added to typical Florida humid weather, coir may not be what you're looking for, for your Phals. I used it along with perlite and charcoal for 2 phals. last summer and they were both dead within a week. (Semi outdoors on a screened patio). I think the bark is complimentary to Florida conditions, keeps the roots evenly moist, retains the moisture without suffocating the plant. If the Phal. you're referring to was brought indoors and under central air, this may have caused some problems. I do find that coir mixed into a predominantly bark mix is good for a few of my Oncidiums and alliances. Doubtful that the bark is what blasted your Phal buds. Probably the shock from too wet/too late and from possibly a radical change in their environment. But like you said, there's next blooming season to look forward to. Last edited by sandra; 02-25-2008 at 07:35 PM. |
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02-25-2008, 10:00 PM
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| I don't know a whole lot of people growing Phals in spagh and having good results. For me, they just don't do well,,,,at all. I found Aussie Gold to be much better, but I do have to add coco chunks to it. This works well for me. Now for the Penang Girl I just used AG only since it's only in a 2 1/2 to 3 inch pot. As for the new Phal from Pine Ridge, it's in a mix that's really wild. 60% stalite, 20% bark, some rockwool, perlite and some other odds and ends. I was told this mix will take a long time to break down and drains very well. I left it in this media to see how well it does for my conditions. I still mist and have it on a tray with rocks and water.
__________________ Jenny~ |
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02-25-2008, 10:55 PM
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| My phal from Pine Ridge was in some really weird crap too. I figured since it already started blasting buds, and the one flower that was already open when I received it has wilted, I might as well go ahead and repot and see what the roots were like in case there was something wrong. They looked good, one or two nasty ones. But I have been potting into 100% aliflor. I keep them on small trays with pebbles and water for humidity. My Phals that have been in the aliflor seem to like it, so I've been switching each one as repotting is needed. |
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02-27-2008, 01:25 PM
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| Sandra, I grow all of my plants/orchids outside on a screened-in, south-facing porch. Bark has so far worked really well for me. I keep track of when I water so bark is relatively hassle free. I bought the phal in question for it's genetic makeup - multiple spikes and numerous branches, lots of blooms, so I was a little bummed when it blasted a bunch of buds. I'm sure it was the combination of a new environment, being very wet, taking it out of it's pot, leaving it exposed for a day to dry out and then repotting it in a different. The next day I soaked it in worm tea for awhile. Anyway, I'm hoping for a pretty good show next season. We'll see. Right now it appears to have stabilized. And, for a change, I can discuss blast semi-intelligently. E-Jag |
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02-27-2008, 01:47 PM
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| Bud blast is such a bummer. I have a Dtps. Purple Gem that's constantly blasting away. It's a sequential blooming little booger, but all it does is drop buds like dead flies. As for the Phal I got from Pine Ridge, all but 1 bloomed. I'm going to wait on a repot on this media. So far the jury is out on a verdict, but it's fairing well for my conditions.
__________________ Jenny~ |
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02-27-2008, 02:08 PM
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| When I de-pot a new plant I always re-pot immediately; maybe that is the difference. I trim off bad roots and that's it. Do you think humidity or lack of has something to do with bud blast? Talking about coir mixes is like saying you drive a car. We all have tweeked our mixes to fit our conditions. I start with Aussie Gold and then add more of what it already has in it plus a few other basic ingredients. Mayres uses a lot more coir then I do in his recipe. I like lots of DynaRok which really opens up the mix. My recipe doesn't even look wet right after watering and actually has a fluffy look to it. What brand of coir (like spraghum) matters a lot also. I'm going to do some experimenting with tree fiber which is known to be great at opening up moss and slow to decompose. Now that I am growing under lights I need to add more coir to my next re-pot because the lights dry out the mix much faster. With T5's and our no humidity I'm watering every other day!! It's a never ending learning process but I think I have almost gotten the mix down to a science. (at least at my house)
__________________ "If Nothing Ever Changed, We Wouldn't Have Butterflies." |
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