Wooden baskets engulfed by large cattleyas - is Repotting even possible?

[piping plover]

Hi All, I am a new member but have been visiting/lurking this forum for awhile now. I need help. Six years ago I transferred all my Catts from clay pots to wooden baskets. I am now regretting it. The Catts growth and roots have engulfed the wooden baskets, I can no longer see the bark chip media; the roots and the basket have become one. Is it even possible to now separate the orchids/roots from the baskets and go back to clay without traumatizing my Catts? Anyone have any advice or past experience with this issue?

An idea to share with you for your input: Should I just disassemble the bottoms of the wood baskets; removing any dead roots and old media from the interior of the basket; adding in fresh media and then reconstruct bottom of basket? In this case I’d use a media that cannot rot (leca pebbles, foam pellets, or similar).

[rbarata]

You acn always use a bigger basket and put the one you have inside of it, then fill the gap with new medium.

[Roberta]

The plant looks happy outside the basket... If you want to contain it just so that the roots don't attack you could just put in a larger basket, no medium. Clearly it doesn't need or particularly want any. Think of the basket as a three-dimensional mount. It there comes a time when everything is around the outside, the middle is dead, and you want to consolidate, you can divide the plant and either disassemble the basket or cut with a saw. but as long as you want to keep the plant together, and it is growing well, I don't think you have to do anything.

[piping plover]

Thanks Rbarata for the quick reply. It is in an 8 inch basket now so I think the next size would be a 10 or 12 inch. and I though it was BIG now

---------- Post added at 11:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:59 PM ----------

Thanks Roberta for the detailed reply. It had a rough winter indoors so I was panicking that I had to get it out of the basket. It became too dry, then when I watered, some big healthy leaves would yellow and drop. It should strengthen now that it is outdoors. As you suggested, I'll likely keep it as is until the middle dies out and then take it from there.

[Bombotany]

+1 to Roberta. It seems happy. If I were going to untangle that mess, I'd probably chop it up and divide the plant in the process - a couple back-bulbs and active bulbs to a division.

[piping plover]

Bombotany, thanks for the reply. Yes, that sounds like another good option. Will need to be careful sanitizing my tools but at least I'll have several plants and insurance from all of them succumbing to decline.

[piping plover]

Here is an update (few months after my original post) on my Catts overtaking their wooden baskets. Pic attached. Seems that this Catt is moving up to the "2nd floor level" in its wooden basket. They have benefited from their few months outdoors. Many new roots, new growths, and a few surprised me with very delayed blooms. They normally would have bloomed in April, but nothing appeared then, just empty or non-existent sheaths. Now, all of a sudden they are sending up buds. I'll send a bloom pic in a few days.

I'm still learning the "manage attachments" function below for uploading pics. Hopefully it posts with correct rotation. Original is correct but the preview view looks sideways.

[piping plover]

Here are the blooms. They are putting out new growths too. Been a strange year from them. We had a house guest staying all winter in the sunny spare bedroom which is also the "orchid room" so I could never get in to water the orchids early in the day to allow to dry by evening. I think that caused disease problems that I confused with maybe being too overgrown for their baskets. Summer outdoors has alleviated many of those concerns.

[DirtyCoconuts]

those plants are beautiful and i love the tangled mess outside the basket- nature doing it's thing!

[piping plover]

Thank you DirtyCoconuts for the reply and kind words. As a palm and orchid hobbyist in the northeast, I am envious of your zone 10B "hot and wet climate." I thought I'd take this oppty to show a few photos of this white catt in its new 10" basket. In Sep 2019, I placed the 6" wooden basket into a 10" one. I attempted an 8" basket; it was too tight and would have chaffed the roots on the inner 6" basket. I added some Spanish moss to the bottom and sides and lightly filled in with some bark and sphagnum; I didn't want to fully cover those roots that were accustomed to being on the outside surface. 2 pics attached, one is from below the basket looking upward to view the air spaces between the original basket & new one.