repotting the SLC...

[amersault]

as much as i wanted to mount this SLC in moss on bark, i lost my resolve and defaulted to the medium i am most comfortable with: bark.

SLC Love Castle Kurenai has finished blooming and is ready to repot. i was hesitant at first but glad i did so after discovering how root bound this plant was. below is the process:

01 shows the SLC and the new home it will go to. the new pot is one size up.

02 unpotting the plant, i realize this is a pot w/in another pot. the bark mix was filler only.

03 pulling out the plant shows the full extent of root mass. the roots are so crowded it's taken on the shape of the plastic pot.

04 different angle showing root growth from the newest PSBs.

05 at this point, the challenge was extricating the old medium from the roots. the root mass was wet well and i had to pry the old decomposing bark from the plant.

06 another view, newly cleaned...

07 i filled the center of the plant w/ new bark instead, rather than forcing the tangle apart.

08 the SLC is placed into its new pot and the surrounding area filled. it is at this point, i make sure the old PSBs are closest to the rim of the pot, leaving the newest PSBs with enough room to expand horizontally.

09 process complete, i drench the plant to wet the new medium and give the SLC a chance to drink.

10 the finished product. i may add a small amount of sphag on top to help keep the bark moist.

hope this helps a few folks thinking of repotting their SLCs and the like.

i'm hoping to get new growth and new blooms by next year

[Ron]

Hi.
Very well done, thanks for the photos.
Ron

[Bolero]

Excellent photos. Great root system for an Slc......wish I could get mine like that. My roots die in winter and regrow in summer.....what can I be doing wrong?

[patticake]

You did a great job. The photos were very clear explaining your process. Good luck and keep us posted on its' progress!

[Hummer344]

Great job on re-potting a plant. The pictures are worth a thousand words.This should be a sticky.

[amersault]

thanks everyone!

i hope i did well by this plant.

as i normally do after repotting, i've reduced the amount of light and will do so for one week to reduce shock.

after which, i'll return it to regular conditions. since it's Fall/Winter, i can afford to give it more direct light, cooler weather permitting.

also, one side note - as these are Sympodials, i would have wanted to home this in a square pot. however the only ones i had were shallow Bonsai pots, and the root system at this point demanded something deeper.

[amersault]

Originally Posted by Bolero

Excellent photos. Great root system for an Slc......wish I could get mine like that. My roots die in winter and regrow in summer.....what can I be doing wrong?

thanks, Bolero

how is the health of your plant overall? regarding your roots - could you perhaps have been overwatering them? it's hard to say w/o a photo. also, are you keeping your plant in or outdoors?

[PhalPal]

I agree - great roots!! The best compliment an orchid grower can get.

Great pot job and all....you really must try a mount someday!! Buy something so you don't have that emotional attachment to yet and give it a try. You can come over to my house and check some out if you want, heck I'll teach you how to do your first one if you like.

[amersault]

thanks, Phalpal!

i'll let you know the next time i'm in your area did you post a how-to before? or if you've posted previously on mount work, please let me know so i can go through it.

in hindsight, this SLC had an excellent root base - perfect for mounting. alas, i got cold feet about not maintaining the right humidity for it.

i'll have to find a different 'victim' for that

[fred]

thank you for starting this thread
I think you have helped out quite well with information with re potting
I will also make this thread Sticky

[amersault]

thanks, Fred

[PhalPal]

My first mounts were purchased on the last day of the Orange County Orchid Show last year. Carmela Orchids can't take their plants back to Hawaii so they have a fire sale on Sunday afternoon.

I think I got four oncidium and seven or eight catts for $20! It might have even been more; the price was ridiculous. I paid $15 for the same onc (one plant) on Friday. I used these new plants as my first 'victims' because I hadn't bonded with them yet. These were my first catts so I experimented by putting some outdoors mounted and potted and a few more inside mounted and potted. This was the only way I would know what worked best for me.

So far the only ones that have bloomed are outdoor mounted (3 of them, 2 with multiple spikes) and one indoor potted (1 spike/flower). I put the oncs in a coconut planter (very little media - they are virtually mounted) and they love it. No spikes yet, but they have great roots and leaves.

[amersault]

I think I got four oncidium and seven or eight catts for $20!

i need to go to more Orchid Shows

PhalPal, i'm sure the Catts benefit from being outdoors more. w/ actual temperature differences and better air movement, it's not surprising you would get better results than an indoor kept plant.

how do they fare when temps dip below 50?