Repotting new orchids --> dead roots
 

Hi everyone,

So I have been operating under the assumption that it is better to repot a BBS orchid immediately (specifically phals) regardless of if it was in bloom in order to maximize survival of the plant in the long run. For example, I've gotten a few phals from Trader Joe's that had about 3x as much moss in the pot as they should have, and I could see the roots starting to rot.

I've been waiting to enjoy the blooms for a week or so, and then repotting, because I didn't want to let the roots rot further. But, I'm noticing that after repotting most of the roots die off anyway. Is this because i repot when they are not in active growth?

Just like to hear everyone's :twocents: Should I wait to repot until they are actively growing, but risk losing the plant in the mean time?

I have never found the roots on my Phals to die off after re-potting. I don't change to much initially. Just pull out large amounts of the moss and let it finish blooming. Or if the moss looks real bad and quite a few rotten roots, I will remove it all, cut off rotten roots and replace with a mix of new moss and bark.

Is it possible you are change the potting environment too drastically so that the old good roots cannot adapt?

Thanks for the reply, Silken! That's a definite possibility. I'm still pretty new to this, and I've been experimenting with mixes to see what works best for me. The most recent phal, though, I put in fresh sphagnum, since that was what it was in. It is growing new roots, but they're just little nubbins.

No problem. Its been mentioned on this forum before that with any orchid, if it gets re-potted into a very different medium it will struggle to adapt. And the best time to re-pot is when new roots are just starting. Then the new roots will adapt to a new potting medium. So your Phal with the nubbins will be fine.

But with the Phals bought in big box stores, they often can't wait for new roots to start. They need out of that dense moss now. So Phals are a bit of an exception to the rule of waiting for new roots. Re-potting has never bothered mine. You could soak the roots in some seaweed water when re-potting. It can help promote root growth. And I really feel most of my orchids love clear pots. I love them too. I can see what's going on in the root zone and they can get some sunlight and photosynthesize, which Phal roots do in nature.

Thank you! That's been my dilemma. I guess from now I will soak with Kelpmax (finally got my hands on some) and try not to change the medium too much. I like the clear pots also :) I need to get some more

I'm wondering if when you re-pot then you are not watering enough. I do this. I have found when you re-pot in bark mix you have to start (depending on your pot size) watering at least in my case about every other day for a while. Since I started doing this I am having much better luck.

I didn't consider this! You are probably right! I am just recently getting into more bark-based mixes rather than sphag, so that's a definite possibility, at least with a few of them. Thank you!

I bought orchiata from FirstRays and followed the instructions to pour boiling water over it to open up the bark. I assumed that would take care of the need to water every couple days at first, but that's probably not the case. My one poor little phal has gotten so droopy the past few days, and I bet that's the culprit.

Thanks, Shannon!

Give it a good soak for 1/2 hour and then let it almost dry thru before watering again.

Your very welcome. I have learned this the hard way.

Another possibility is that the roots are damaged during the re-potting process and an infection sets in, rotting the roots.
The trick I use is to soak the orchid root zone before I remove it from the pot, take great care with the roots while removing the medium, then use my medium (now LECA) completely dry. After the process, I do not water for a few days. This gives the roots a chance to heal. Damp conditions help stimulate fungus growth and with the roots in such a tender condition, this can lead to the roots rotting.
I use LECA now as my main medium and every new orchid that isn't mounted goes directly into it. I really like LECA as the old roots just keep growing after the re-potting. Even the orchids with fussy roots don't mind being re-potted into it. :)