Very long air roots - what to do?

[wugglyump]

A while back I rescued an orchid (no blooms) from our building's trash bin room - I believe it is a type of Cattleya, the kind with large white blossoms you often see in plant stores. It has since bloomed twice, and with the latest flowers there has been a massive surge of air roots (see photos).

The roots are getting so long and numerous, I worry every time I move it for watering I will snap one of them off. (It also is looking alien enough I worry I will wake up one morning with it on my face! I love it though - it amazes me.)

Is there any sort of container I can use that will protect the roots better? I have been meaning to get one of those ceramic orchid pots with holes, although now I can't imagine repotting it without causing it harm. Help!

[camille1585]

First of all, welcome to OB!

Your orchid is not a Cattleya, it's a Phal. As for those roots, I would normally say to let them be, but they are quite long. How long ago did you repot it? It could be that the medium is starting to sour, and the roots don't like it and prefer to grow out rather than into the pot.

Other than that, your culture must be good if you are getting it to rebloom!

[wugglyump]

Thanks so much for the welcome, and the orchid ID! Very helpful.

I guess I can get a more ventilated pot and some new planting material and repot it after this last round of blooms finishes. I just don't want to upset it, as it seems pretty happy so far. How can I tell if the medium is starting to sour?

And regarding feeding, right now all I have in the house is standard liquid Miracle-Gro. Should I look for something specifically for orchids?

Thanks a bunch!

[wugglyump]

PS I have never repotted it - it is still in the original pot.

[camille1585]

Your phal looks to be planted in sphagnum moss, and that stuff tends to sour after about a year. How long have you had the plant? If I remember right, over time sphag tends to get quite acidic, which orchids don't like. It also starts to get a nasty color and can decompose a bit. That's why orchids in sphag tend to be repotted once a year, and orchids in a bark mix are repotted every 2 years or so, 1 year if it was not a high quality bark mix. If you feel confident with the sphag you can repot in that.

With the spikes and those roots repotting might snap something, but it would be a good idea to dig around in the sphag and see what the roots look like in the pot that way you know if repotting can wait or should be done asap. If they're firm, they're good.

[wugglyump]

I will take a look. I think I found the plant late last summer, so the moss is probably coming up on a year old. The surface of it certainly looks less springy and more clumpy that I remember, as if it is beginning to decompose.

Would I just remove all the old material from around the roots and pack it with fresh, then put it in a more ventilated pot of comparable size?

[SewPretty]

yup. you got it! there are many many tutorials on how to re-pot and it's really not hard! here's a decent one: Repotting a Phalaenopsis - Orchid Forum Orchid Care

Phals are really MUCH more durable and forgiving than a lot of people think. I have repotted mine while they were in bloom and they didn't even seem to notice.

Once you take the plant out of the pot and determine that it has good roots in there, you can cut off the ones outside the pot with no harm done to the plant. I cut them off of mine every time I repot just to keep things manageable. but between repottings i leave them alone because i think they are neat and sort of sculptural. good luck!

[PleuroPal]

What to do?

First, I recommend giving yourself a big pat on the back. Second, I would echo what others have said here, regarding the potting medium. Third, I would urge you to consider mounting this baby on a stick, trying to preserve those amazing airial roots, which will look awesome hanging down from a mount. There are tutorials and articles around here on how to do that, if you're not sure.
Congratulations!

[wugglyump]

Thanks everyone! This has been most helpful.

One more question - how can I tell if I need to move up to a larger pot? It looks like orchid roots are normally kind of clustered - if they need repotting do they look especially cramped?

It is in a six inch pot now.

[camille1585]

Orchids like (and need) to be a bit root bound in order to do well. Usually keeping the same pot is enough, but if the roots are spiraling around the pot a lot (some spiraling is fine), then going up to a larger pot is necessary.. But not much larger, usually the next size up is more than enough. If you're not sure what to do, just take a photo of the roots once you unpot, and you'll get advice here.