Repotting Compact Catt., Sizing Up Question

[Mountaineer370]

"Well, I'm going to be repotting my new little Slc. Jewel Box Scheherazade today. It was sitting too close to the edge of my kitchen table, and my tallest dog gave it a sniff this morning and it fell on the floor. Totally my fault, not his! It's was in a tiny 2 1/4 inch pot, and I was going to repot it anyway after it was done blooming, but I guess it will get done sooner than I planned."

I posted the above paragraph in my Introduction thread this morning, but I'd like to ask a question about this. I just got this plant two weeks ago from a vendor at a show. It's in a square, 2 1/4 diameter by 3 1/4 tall plastic pot. It was my plan to repot it when it was done flowering, but now that it has been knocked down and damaged, I feel I should do it sooner rather than later.

The smallest pots I have on hand right now are either 4 1/4 tall by 4 1/2 deep, or 4 1/2 tall by 4 1/4 deep. Is this too big of a difference from the pot it is in currently? My reading and research tells me the wisdom is that orchids like to be a little root-bound and should not be over-potted. If I need to have an smaller pot, say 3 or 3 1/2 inches in diameter, I will have to order one, and it will probably be a week before I get it. There is no place around here that sells much in the way of orchid pots. Should I wait that long, or would the larger pot I have on hand be okay?

Another concern I have with this plant is that I've only had it for two weeks. When I bought it, it had two open blooms and a bud. Over the next week, the third bud opened, and I enjoyed three nice flowers for a while. But a couple of days ago (the day after I watered it, to be exact, which I believe was the second time I had watered it since buying it), the flowers were not happy and were only open about halfway. Not drying up, but drooping just a little and looking more like flowers that had not yet opened. I was puzzled, but this morning when it got knocked off the table, one of the flower spikes got bent and all three flowers are distinctly flopped over and drooping now. So I'm guessing the best thing is to cut off the spikes when I repot it, since I'm sure they're not going to recover.

I welcome any comments!

[bil]

"My reading and research tells me the wisdom is that orchids like to be a little root-bound and should not be over-potted."

I have long asked people to provide me with a benefit to an orchid having its roots rammed into a tiny pot. They will if left any length of time for a solid plug, and I am not quite sure how that could ever be seen as an advantage. Also in the wild, those roots will be free to roam, as they would on a mount.

Over potting is one of those terms that should be abolished.

The medium that an orchid is potted in should never be so deep or so dense that it stops oxygen/air getting to the roots really well.
That is what is meant by overpotting, but everyone takes it to mean pot diameter. In reality, the pot could be a metre in diameter and a metre deep provided that it was only filled with coarse bark that was not broken down.

[jkofferdahl]

To an extent I agree with Bil, and I certainly agree with his reasoning. In practical terms, though, using a pot which is double the size of the original may lead to watering troubles, as in excessively long drying time. I suspect you'll be fine with the pots you've described.

[bil]

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

To an extent I agree with Bil, and I certainly agree with his reasoning. In practical terms, though, using a pot which is double the size of the original may lead to watering troubles, as in excessively long drying time. I suspect you'll be fine with the pots you've described.

See if you can find something that can be used as a pot, which is nice and shallow. Think outside the box. In a DIY/Household store here there are some shallow plastic baskets, rectangular, look like wickerwork, which gives all round ventiation.

[Mountaineer370]

Thanks for the replies! I do remember now seeing that recent/current thread about pot size theories. I'll have to re-read that.

I do have an update, though, and not a good one. Since most of the media in the tiny pot had fallen out anyway, I decided to just pull the plant out and see what I had to work with. It seemed to be in small bark chips and what might be tiny chunks of sponge rock. Also had one Styrofoam peanut in the center.

Unfortunately, most -- and maybe all -- of the roots appeared to be dead. I trimmed off the obviously brown, mushy ones. What's left are four or five of them that are only one to two inches long, kind of brownish-gray, but not to the point of being mushy. I held it under tepid water for a minute and none of them turned green, so I'm not optimistic that they are viable. I trimmed off the single flower stem with the three blooms and dusted it with cinnamon.

It's now sitting in a glass tumbler until I decide what I should do with it. Is leaving it in the tumbler and giving it a soak with water for an hour or so a day something that might encourage it to grow new roots? Or should it go back into a bark medium ASAP?

[Dollythehun]

Leafmite just gave me a lesson on potting a new mini "Blue Hawaii." In part he told me that you will lose most of these old roots and not to worry as this the season they throw new ones rapidly. Mine was tight in a 3.5" pot. I put it into a 6" with coarse bark and per his instructions, waited a few days to water. Perhaps he can chime in here. If you are in a pinch for clay pots try Joanne Fabrics or Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and Lowe's.

Someone will be along soon to correct my errors, hang tight.😀😁😂🤣

[Roberta]

Catts really do like lots of air. Clay pot is OK, but something with openings like a strawberry basket might be even better. With small plant and large bark, you also need to be sure to stabilize the plant (wood skewers make good stakes) so that when new roots develop, the plant doesn't wiggle and cause the new tips to be damaged. New growth will bring new roots. The pseudobulbs can carry the plant until the new roots develop. Also remember that Catts like to dry out between waterings - especially important with few good roots, there's nothing to take up the water you apply, so the goals to keep the root environment only damp (essentially, humid) but not wet

[Mountaineer370]

Okay, thanks everybody. So, in a nutshell, okay to go a little bigger on the pot, maybe find a shallower pot or alternative type container. Large bark, lots of air flow, stabilize it, and let dry between waterings. I'm guessing this is going to require lots of patience on my part to see whether it's going to live and then whether it will ever bloom again.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

Okay, thanks everybody. So, in a nutshell, okay to go a little bigger on the pot, maybe find a shallower pot or alternative type container. Large bark, lots of air flow, stabilize it, and let dry between waterings. I'm guessing this is going to require lots of patience on my part to see whether it's going to live and then whether it will ever bloom again.

Orchids teach patience. Most operate, at best, on an annual cycle so one rarely gets quick feedback. Air flow (drying between waterings) is the biggest factor, as well as good light. Once the weather warms up (yes it eventually will) this orchid will be very happy outside. Once the night temps are reliably not below about 60 deg F, it will be very happy outside in filtered sun or bright shade. In the fall you can leave it out until night temps are below 45-50 deg F (since by fall it will have had a chance to acclimate gradually.) I recommend waiting for a bit higher minimum in the spring just because it has been indoors and therefore not accustomed to lower temps. This hybrid can be quite cold-tolerant if exposed in the natural change of seasons.

[Leafmite]

I actually use red lava rock and basket pots for all my Cattleyas (there are pros and cons to this and some tricks to getting orchids established in it).

The following describes the method I use for re-potting Cattleyas, Angraecums, Phals, Oncidiums, Dendrobiums and any other orchid that doesn't get mounted or put in NZ Sphagnum moss. The reason? Here is a link to understanding the reason why we need to protect injured roots and give them a chance to heal if we wish to save them: Root rot - Wikipedia

When potting into a new pot, I find it best to soak the orchid first. When an orchid's roots look bad, I might soak overnight to get a better idea of the health of the roots. I have a seaweed solution that I add to the water, now, to help give the orchid a better start.
I remove all of the old medium (unless it is one of the more fussier Cattleyas, i.e. aclandiae) and then pot the orchid in dry medium. I try to leave any roots with growing tips as exposed as possible by the rock. I do not water for a few days to give the orchid's roots a chance to heal so that they can protect themselves from rot.

However, for those who cannot help but water right away or like using wet medium, if you do lose the roots at this time of year, there is no real reason for concern. At this time, a Cattleya will soon be adding new pseudobulbs and, with those new pseudobulbs will come new roots. These new roots will support the orchid.

The problem arises if it is a Cattleya that has a growth/rest cycle that spans a year and the new pseudobulbs are already growing roots...and the medium is decomposing. If those roots are harmed, the Cattleya will need to survive on the stores from the old pseudbulbs for an entire year, until next spring. Protecting roots is also wise if one ever decides to buy a Cattleya seedling, of, say, dowiana, in autumn and the orchid cannot afford to lose any roots...and the medium is in terrible shape.