another timing of repotting question

[nutgirl]

I understand the principle about waiting until new roots are starting to grow in order for them to adapt to S/H....but what should I do when I buy a new plant?

I always take them out of their existing medium when I get them home and would like to change to S/H at that time but they are not always in growth mode. I hate to have to repot with bark because S/H works so well for me. Can I use the LECA as a kind of bark replacement until the timing is right then switch over to the S/H watering regime?

I have 2 oncidium hybrids that are currently blooming but have not started new psuedobulbs or roots.

Am I making this too complicated?

Maureen

[camille1585]

There are quite a few people here who grow their plants in leca, but not s/h. You just use normal orchid pots with all the holes at the bottom and water it normally. If I weren't moving around so much with the orchids because of school I would mine all in leca since it eliminates the need for frequent repotting.

[nutgirl]

Thanks Camille!

That's what I was thinking about doing. I'm a frequent waterer and LECA is safer for me to use than bark.

Maureen

[Becky15349]

Here are my rules on repotting:

With a new plant, I feel its always best to repot it right away regardless of the season so you can check the roots and you know what condition the plant is in. However, if it is wintertime (non growing season) when you get the new plant, you should only repot it into the same type of media that it came from - not into a new type of media. For example, if the plant came in bark, repot it into bark - do not put it into SH or leca.

However, with a new plant that you receive in the summer growing season, I think it is safe to repot it into either the same type of media or a different type of media. The reason for this is that during the growing season, you get active root growth, so it should be able to acclimiate to a new media. In the winter, root growth is slowed and the plant may not be able to adapt to a new media.

In general, you want to ensure that the plant will have at least 6-8 weeks to recover in its new media because it will go through a period of root death and regrowth, and this takes time. It also happens best during the growing season.

I've lost many many orchids bc I repotted into SH from bark in the winter. Please learn from my mistake!!!

I hope that makes sense!

Becky

[nutgirl]

Thank you, Becky!

That makes perfect sense. That's why I posted the question, I prefer to benefit from the experience of others.

Maureen

[nenella]

Yes,but don't forget that the biggest 'successes' with S/h are when there is new root growth

[Zoi2]

Most all of my plants are in s/h. As an experiment, I put two new purchased orchids: a den and a catt, in a pot with just leca. Thinking that when I had new growth I'd just transfer everthing to a s/h pot. So far both plants are doing great and I'm not sure I will transfer to s/h.
Joann

[nutgirl]

Hmmm, this is getting interesting.

I agree that something as drastic as changing from bark to S/H without active growth going on is probably not a good idea. I do wonder, though, how much culture change there is from bark to LECA in a non S/H situation. It would not be as moist as S/H and there would be plenty of air circulation.

I have to repot not matter what. The existing medium is the usual pack of sphag in the middle with bark added around the outside. Roots in the middle are already going bad.

If this doesn't work, there's always water culture. haha That's what I love about orchids, the options are many.

Thanks to all!!!

Maureen

[camille1585]

I still think it's fine to repot in Leca since you are not doing SH with it right away. I don't see a problem with just using a different medium. I've repotted stuff from sphag or coir to bark and bark to sphag, with no problems at all.

[Ray]

Maureen, I think your idea if bark-->LECA (traditional culture)-->Full-blown S/H culture is a good one. Soaking roots used to dry conditions is a bad idea if there are no new roots on the way to support the plant.

However, you can accelerate the root growth by using bottom heat, allowing you to make the transition much quicker.