please help a beginner understand potting and humidity.

[BigRed]

greetings fellow orchid enthusiasts!
I have a few beginner questions and would really appreciate any advice.

1. I have 4 orchids that live in a plastic pots that rest snugly inside of a glazed pot with no air holes. Will this cause root rot? I hear it does but I'm confused because when I bought my orchids from a nice locally owned garden shop they were in these pots. Do I get new pots? I just got an Ionocidium Popcorn 'Haruri' and I really don't want to kill it. It's gorgeous.

2. I know orchids need humidity and I see really cool set ups on this site all the time. I live in the Monterey bay area of California, about a half mile from the beach. My orchids live next too a sliding door I keep open during the day. Do you think the ocean air has enough humidity?

3. Today I bought an gorgeous ionocidium in bloom whose medium looks almost black! It' potted in fine bark mix. The top roots look dark green almost like moss is growing on them and they are stuck to the bark. I usually look for healthy roots and newer potting materials but I fell in love with this chid and didn't care about such things. The tag says re pot every two years, but I feel like this little gal has been in her pot for almost that time. Should I wait till it's done blooming to repot? Or should I operate?

Thank you for any help. My plants and I appreciate it greatly!

[camille1585]

I saw that your post was getting buried so I'll bump it up and try to answer your questions.

For your orchids in glazed pots: This is just my on the subject. If some of your orchids are phals that are in clear plastic pots, it is better to take them out of the glazed pots. This is because their roots are capable of photosynthesis, just like the leaves! For other types, I think you can leave it in the glazed pot, providing that the orchid pot is NOT sitting in water. Personally, I never use such pots.

For the humidity, I really can't tell you anything. Do you have a hygrometer? That would give you a pretty clear answer to your question!

If you are in doubt about the condition of the medium and roots, repot! Even if it is in bloom. It is better to repot even if there is no problem, than to wait until it's done blooming and find out the plant has root rot. There are several people on OB who always repot new orchids, even in bloom, even if the medium seems fine. You never know what kind of bad surprises you may find!!

I hope this helps you, and hopefully other members can provide answers to your questions!

[BigRed]

Thanks a bunch camille! I took my phals out so their roots can get some sun. Also, I repotted my new iononcidium. which was a good thing because it had a sphagum moss plug in the center that was really degraded and the bark was black. The roots looked excellent! I hope it was a success, this is my first re pot of an orchid with such thin delicate roots. It couldn't fit back into it's old plastic container so I put it one that was the next size up. The plant is kind of wobbly now. I'll just be careful not to mess with it. Thanks again!