When to repot phals.?

[jakina22]

Hi there. I have read conflicting information, and just wanted to get some advice. ((I live in Tampa, FL, my plants are outside in morning sun only and watered every 4-7 days))

I have phals. All have flowers. Several have stopped growing buds, and all flowers are open. One or two have fallen. They are beginning to grow new roots right at the top of the potting medium. Is now a good/ safe time to repot? The phals in question are in the original potting mix which is clearly deteriorating. (Dark, broken down with a "is that dirt" appearance.)

I have read that you should wait until all flowers have dropped off the spike; yet I have also read that you should repot as soon as new roots appear as not to cause damage when the roots are longer. (The roots are 1/4-1/2 inch long) I have only had to repot two plants before. Those were clearly ready...all flowers were gone before new roots appeared.

I like to use a combination of moss and bark as suggested by a local grower.

Any tips/ suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thank you.

[Ray]

Your right-on about the timing with the growth of new roots.

If you can remove the old medium and put the plants in fresh stuff with little disturbance, they might go through without any shock factor whatsoever. If you see they have bad roots, chop[ off the spike. If you see the plants start to get limp in a few days, chop off the spike.

It is - in my mind anyway - better to lose a few blossoms than to risk losing the entire plant!

[Ross]

Many folks choose to repot their new orchids (all types) as soon as they get them. This means in bloom or not. So in answer to this quetion - it's ok to repot, while in bloom. New roots are best, but repotting is possible even without new roots.

[wighty44]

I received a phal as a gift in late March that was potted in a glazed ceramic pot with no drain hole and a small top opening.

While the plant looked heathly on the surface, I felt the roots were probably rotting and would not last. I wanted to wait for the blooms to die-off to repot, but I believed improving the root conditions was a higher priority.

As I suspected the roots were rotting (~30%). After trimming and repotting the phal, it seems to be much "happier". After 3 weeks, the blooms are still strong with no evidence of getting near their end.

So far, I feel I made the best decision for it...

[philoserenus]

heyhey, for me i pretty much repot when there are new roots. they usually grow for me while the spike is growing, stalls during the development of buds and flowers, and then resumes when the flowers are open and holding.

so for me, i usually repot when the spike is growing but no buds yet. b/c all that usually happens for me a small time lag on the spike development but the flowers will still come--just a little later.

[jakina22]

Thank you all for your thoughts. I looked at the root tonight and it seems to be growing at a pretty good pace. And a second one is starting to appear on the other side. So I will repot now. (Plus I'm anxious to see what's going on in that pot lol) Thanks again!
Take care, Jacki