Afraid to repot! Why do my repotted orchids always suffer after???
fuzzballiscute (SF Bay Area, Ca. Us)
9 years ago
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Comments (13)
fuzzballiscute (SF Bay Area, Ca. Us)
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Serious CHC concerns after repotting.
Comments (19)Blue, you talk about watering "as I thought needed" and you refer to "I think they get enough lighting". For some of us such 'seat of the pants' flying is unacceptably instinctual. If it works at all is fairly easy to determine but if there are problems then perhaps a move to more objective methods is in order? Beginning with light, of course, it rarely is enough in North America in the best of places. Indoors is even worse. There simply is no leeway for niceties like 'diffused' or 'dappled' or 'bright shade'. Truth be told, greenhouse growers in the north latitudes use shadecloth to control temperature not to reduce light levels!! So, no, I don't think you have sufficient light unless you are supplementing the dappled west window light with artificial light. I find that a fixed day of the week (or two) on which to water does less harm than the catch as catch can approach. With CHC, or any medium for that matter, you are not so much waiting for the medium to reach a certain level of dryness before you water again as you are topping up the reservoir of water held in suspension before it runs completely dry. Read that again, everyone. It is key to the overwhelming misconception about watering orchids in North America and similar environs. In situ when an orchid receives rain the many crannies in the bark of its mount and the overgrowths of moss and the usual high humidity of the sub/tropical environment all conspire to ensure that rarely if ever will the roots see anything approaching total dryness. Not just phals but Catts too. Climb a tree some summer afternoon when it hasn't rained in days. The bark will have a vaguely damp feel to it and this is quite enough. In a tropical environment the bark would be damper still. When you water a pot full of bark the moisture level will still be quite high the next day, the day after that and maybe even the day after that. In nature although still not totally dry, the root environment will admittely be much less soggy than in the pot. Do you really think that waiting seven days to water again gives the roots anything approaching a natural wet/dry cycle? No it doesen't. Nor do you want it to for in North America, especially indoors, we haven't the humidity levels nor the guarantee of daily rainfal or dew, etc. We may as well learn to rely on the inbuilt capacity of the medium to ensure that adequate gas exchange is possible regardless of the amount of moisture present and water as often as neccessary to ensure that the moisture level never falls below zero. But as far as there being a maximum, there is no such thing. Every day watering while wasteful of water should not be harmful if other aspects of culture are exemplary! In North America, however, things are rarely exemplary and a whole regime of countermeasures has arisen to compensate for reduced light, low humidity, temerature extremes, etc. I haven't seen these measures work to my satisfaction so I am trying (and preaching) a method of creating the environment that promotes vigorous growth and development of the orchid like natural conditions do rather than attempting via water starvation regimens to forestall problems brought about by insufficient light and/or insufficient daytime max temp (in winter), low humidity, etc. Finally, from Blue's language I am pretty certain, like Clara, that s/he is referring to CHC and not coir. And I do believe CHC can be obtained pressed into bricks though mine did come loose in a bag. H...See MoreHelp! Cattleya ALWAYS root rot after repot
Comments (7)You have to find a source for your Cattleyas where the potting mix is compatible with your growing conditions. When I get my order I know that the plants will be fine for a year. So I start going through my collection in August (tidying up, repotting and dividing, or placing the pot into a larger pot with minimal disturbance) and this process finishes around about December. This is for a very large collection of orchids. AND I'm talking about the Southern Hemisphere. So maybe February = August if you are right side up. You do not have to look at the roots if the top part of the plant is healthy and if the plant is growing well you should use Nicks pot within a pot method if you want the plant to grow with minimal disturbance. The other problem with cattleyas is that they flower at different times during the year and that might influence when you repot. As for the potting mix that depends on where you are in the USA. The general rule is the closer you are to the tropics, the more arid the mix. Then there are some "Cattleyas" that do best on a mount......... As Jane said, tell us where you are......See MoreRepotted Orchids bark stay dry after watering
Comments (7)Adding sphag to the mix will help keep it moist, but you should still run the pot under water at least once a week. When I spray my plants, the water drips through to the bottom pretty quickly ... but this hardly adds enough water to soak the bark. If you don't want to take all of the plants to the sink once a week, you can bring a deep bowl of water to your plants and dunk each one. If you don't want to let them soak, just dunk them quickly 2-3x a week to re-wet the bark. That's what I do in the winter (my oncidiums got dunked daily). Be warned: using the same bucket of water for all of your plants means that if any of the plants have anything contagious, it will quickly be transmitted to all of your plants, so you need to take care....See MoreRescue orchid help: yellow leaves after repotting
Comments (8)I have several of these dendrobiums and usually find if they yellow immediately, it's the stress from the transplant. Were the roots in good shape and did you soak the media for a while before transplanting? I know they hate being cold and I live in Michigan so in the summer I place them in a sheltered area outside but have to bring them in before any of the other orchids in the fall. I've found mine seem to do better in a type of stone media rather than bark for some reason. I have them in pots with a lot of drainage holes in the sides and bottom. Old canes will die off and turn brown eventually but still give nourishment to the new parts of the plant so I leave them alone and don't cut them off. Not the prettiest with old canes thrusting out in all directions but they always bloom every year and sometimes twice a year. My oldest one is probably about 12 years old....See Morefuzzballiscute (SF Bay Area, Ca. Us)
9 years ago
suzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)
9 years agofuzzballiscute (SF Bay Area, Ca. Us) thanked suzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)fuzzballiscute (SF Bay Area, Ca. Us)
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9 years ago
arthurm2015
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agofuzzballiscute (SF Bay Area, Ca. Us) thanked arthurm2015fuzzballiscute (SF Bay Area, Ca. Us)
9 years ago
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