Re potting? HELP!

[nicola86]

Hi i bougtht a beautiful small orchid today and it is in a plastic pot which is full of roots and some are even creeping over the top of the pot. What kind of pot do i need to repot it in ? How do it get it out of this one without damaging it? What else do i put into the new pot, do i need to buy a special soil? You might be able to tell but i've never looked after an orchid or any other plant before! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Nic x

[fred]

Hi nicola86
welcome to the forum
I hope that you enjoy your stay here with us orchidgeeks

Ok for us to help you with the right information please go into your Profile and update that with your Location.

the other one we need to know is what sort of orchid do you own ?

thanks and happy chatting

[Anton]

Nicola pictures always help.

Our fingers are at the keyboard ready to help.

[mayres]

It may not need to be repotted at all. As Anton noted, can you post a picture? Orchids in general like to be in small pots and like to be root bound. There are lots of different types of media (not soil) that orchids can be potted in - in nature the majority of them live off trees, rocks, etc. (a smaller percentage are terrestrial and do live on the ground). Many people mount them on pieces of bark or other objects to liken their wild habitat. Pots are generally a convenience for us (not for our orchids) that enable us to move them around from place to place for our own purposes. Yep........bring on the questions..........

[charleyismydog]

Welcome Nicola! Can't wait to see what orchid you've got.

[BillC]

Hi Nicola, and welcome to the forum. As Mike says, you probably don't need to repot the plant and many of the members keep their orchids in plastic pots. This means you can see the roots and this is a help in determining possible problems. Do let us know what kind of orchid you have, and your location.

Bill

[nicola86]

Here are pictures of the flower, the whole plant and just the roots, i'm not sure what kind of orchid it is. Also my location is liverpool in the uk. Thanks so much for the help !

[Anton]

Nicola, can you resize the images to 800 pixels, longest dimension ?

The size you have them at present is too small to make out any real detail.

[MariahK]

looks like a phal to me but it was really hard to make it out.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by nicola86

i'm not sure what kind of orchid it is.

You've got a Phal hybrid. You can download a free Phalaenopsis culture sheet from the American Orchid Society at www.aos.org. I also highly recommend joining a local orchid society as you will meet lots of folks who can give you tips for growing in your specific area. Also check out the Royal Horticltural Society (RHS) website.

Cheers!

[c.whitcomb]

I agree with Kmarch, a phal hybrid. I think the message here, especially if you've never cultivated any plant before, is to be patient, learn all you can and then begin to make decicsions about repotting etc. Making sure you can fulfil the growth requirements for an orchid is key. Those culture sheets are perfect place to start. keep posting and good luck!

[angelique888]

remove ffrom the old pot and repot it with orchid mix,you may also subdivide it into 2 pots.

[fred]

just hold off on re-potting until you are able to provide better pics please.

angelique888
please feel free to Introduce yourself to all our members in the Introduction section
also please go into your UserCP and update your Profile with your Location as that will help us to understand your growing conditions as we have members from all over the world with different growing conditions.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by angelique888

...you may also subdivide it into 2 pots.

Phals are typically not divided if the have more than 2 growth. Monopodials like phals, vandas, etc are not readily divided in that manner. Also 2 spikes does not necessarily mean 2 plants.

I'd hold off on any plant to divide.

[made4engineering]

You will be able to post bigger pictures if you save the files to a .jpg or .jpeg format since they are compressed and take up less memory

[tizzycat]

Angelique, I agreee that what you appear to have there is a phaleanopsis. Please hold back on the re-potting until we're certain.

I certainly would not attempt to divide a phal.

You can also find information on re-potting a phal here:

Easy Orchids - Re Potting A Phalaenopsis

I find my phals do very well on bark (my personal preference) in a North/East facing window .

For watering the Skewer method is an invaluable indicator of when to water.

Skewer use for watering of orchids

Let's have look at some re-sized pics before you start.

[berkeleysgr8]

From what I can make out in the photos, you appear to have a very happy, healthy plant that does not need to be repotted. Phals like crowded conditions for their roots. In my opinion, one of the benefits of an orchid with a pot full of roots is that they're much harder to over water and kill!