Should I repot my dendrobium into a bigger pot?

[Lexi11990]

Hello! I believe the last time I posted was September, I asked if my orchid was ready to be repot into a bigger pot but some people said not yet. It has grown a lot bigger so I would love somebody else’s opinion! Should I repot it into a slightly bigger pot? I know they kinda like to be root bound, but I just want someone else’s opinion.

[Paphluvr]

Not yet. If you intend to be an orchid grower you need to learn patience.

[Roberta]

When the new growth starts to climb out of the pot (and you have new roots) then you can consider it. But even then, more likely you can stay with the same size pot by repositioning the plant with the oldest growth against one side (maximizing the space for more new growth)

The reason for keeping pot size down is that you don't want a wet, airless mass in the middle of the pot - which you'll get if you have too much medium for the size of the roots. Dendrobiums tend to have a fairly small "footprint".

If you find that it is top-heavy and wants to fall over, you can drop the whole thing (pot and all) into a suitably-sized terracotta pot to provide extra weight without increasing the footprint.

[Lexi11990]

Originally Posted by Roberta

When the new growth starts to climb out of the pot (and you have new roots) then you can consider it. But even then, more likely you can stay with the same size pot by repositioning the plant with the oldest growth against one side (maximizing the space for more new growth)

The reason for keeping pot size down is that you don't want a wet, airless mass in the middle of the pot - which you'll get if you have too much medium for the size of the roots. Dendrobiums tend to have a fairly small "footprint".

If you find that it is top-heavy and wants to fall over, you can drop the whole thing (pot and all) into a suitably-sized terracotta pot to provide extra weight without increasing the footprint.

Thank you so much !

[Optimist]

If it has bark medium, see if it is decomposing (getting squishy). If it is, I would personally repot because decomposing bark leads to nitrates/ammonia which adds additional nitrates to any fertilizer you might be adding changing the composition. I now prefer to keep all my orchids in a non-bark medium, either small rocks, pummice, or the like-- something that does not break down. If, on the other hand you have it in lecca, lava or any stone, or something that does not break down (old joke is they put them in wine corks, and marbles too), then you can keep it in the pot a while longer.

[Lexi11990]

It is in bark! I will check it out in a bit. Thank you so much for your reply

[WaterWitchin]

As Optimist just said, check to make sure your bark hasn't degraded too much. I was going to say the same thing when looking at the medium in your picture. That doesn't mean put into a bigger pot... just means you may need to refresh your potting medium.

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by Lexi11990

It is in bark! I will check it out in a bit. Thank you so much for your reply

The media changing time for that soft bark they sell in big box stores is only a bout a year. Maybe 2 for a harder bark. Despite all the repotting videos, orchids hate to be repotted. It puts them under a great deal of stress. It is like falling off your tree, or being dug up, and then situated in a new home where everything is different.

I prefer lecca, small (Hawaiian) black lava, or pumice (the large chunks), or a mixture of those. In some cases I use orchiata which is a harder bark from New Zealand-- but it is still a potentially decaying part of a tree, it just take longer to decay.

The build up of mineral salts is still an issue on every type of media. The pots should be flushed with pure water (rain storms are good for this). a few times per year.