* Soak your bark mix overnight and then drain it before repotting.
This will prime the dry orchid bark so it is ready to absorb
water and support your orchid plant.
* Phalaenopsis orchids in sphagnum moss
should be repotted when the moss starts to break down or looks
soggy. The poorer your water the faster it will decompose. We
recommend switching to a standard bark mix or a peat-based mix for
orchids.
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(Right) The roots on
this phalaenopsis orchid are extremely healthy.
The plant is growing in sphagnum moss in a transparent pot. The roots tend to
grow towards the light and are also slighlty photosynthetic. Transparent pots
make it easer to asssess how the roots are doing.
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When to Repot Your Phalaenopsis
Orchid
Repot plants about every 12-18 months, or when the mix decomposes. Bark mixes will
turn dark brown and crumbly, often staying quite
wet.
Try to repot your phalaenopsis orchid before they get to
this stage. Use a mix of 2/3 medium fir bark with 1/3 coarse perlite, or a mix
especially formulated for
phals.
How to Repot
Gently tug the plant free of its pot while wobbling it from side to side. Take care
not to damage any living roots. Carefully remove any dead mushy roots, again
trying not to damage any roots that are firm and white. Also be careful
not to break the living roots when you repot. Remember, an orchid is only as good
as its roots and these tend to grow slowly. Shake as much of
the old fir bark of the roots as you can manage. Sometimes a stake or chopstick
helps in dislodging mix from the center of the root ball. Allow dead dried roots to
break off and remove any that are clearly dry and
stringy.
Repot the plant in a slightly larger pot if needed. Remember
that phalaenoipis orchids like to be a little pot-bound. Hold the
plant in the centre of the pot, with the lowest leaf about 1/2 inch above the
top edge of the pot. Fill in the pot with bark mix until the plant
is held in place. Then using a stake, gently work the potting mix in
between the roots. Add more mix as needed and finish off by tamping the
mix firmly among the surface roots iwth your thumb. Do not try to force any
rots growing out of the pot in the mix. Your phal should be sit firmly
in the pot and not wobble. Soak your plant thoroughly. Keep it
more shaded than usual for a few weeks while they adjust. Healthy roots
tend to be firm and white with green growing tips.
Peat-Based Mixes
Phalenopsis orchids do very well in certain peat-based mixes such as Pro-Mix
HP or certain types of Fafard mizes available from specialty orchid
supply stores online. Do NOT use regular houseplant soil, even if is
peat-based! Pro-Mix lasts longer than bark. When you do repot, its very
easy to simply shake the mix free of the roots. Follow the instructions above,
except do NOT compress the mix into the pot and around the roots whne you place the
orchid plant in its new pot. Tap the pot gently, topping up the mix as it
settles in between the roots and the plant is firm. Water the plant thoroughly. Do
this a few times over the next day or two, as the mix will initially be resistant
to absorbing water.
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