Donna, the pot size depends on what kind of plant you have. Since you mentioned Rob's I assume these are mini or semi mini. This type of AV should always be in a 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inch pot for a lifetime. If they get over eight inches circumference, just take off a row of leaves. Should these plants be standards from Ma's collections, the plant will need to go up to a 3 or 3 1/2 when roots fill the pot. Take the plant out of the pot. If roots are full, put it into a larger pot. Although I'm sure soil mix from Rob's is excellent, I would repot it with your own because with your own mix, plants should act the same as those you already have. If you keep Rob's mix you may have to water more or less than usual. Nancy

Thank you, Irina! I am happy to have found this board, as it seems I have found AV experts here! I have enjoyed reading other posts for info and all your good advice to others too. My husband and I just bought our very first home last August, so this has opened up the world of plants and gardening! I have always felt I couldn't work with plants, that I would kill them all, but so far I have even got begonias going strong. I realized I just need to pay attention and follow directions! :) In the past, I think I killed plants because I wasn't attentive to their individual needs. Really excited about getting this violet going. I bought soil and perlite at home depot today, but both have miracle grow. I was worried about how to deal with that as far as knowing when to start giving AV food. I considered going to the nursery tomorrow to find mix and perlite w/o additives. If I do use the miracle grow, your advice to wait a few months is perfect. I will update with pictures! :) --la

I think it is due mostly to the fact that their growth season is different than is typical for more temperate hardy plants....... late spring/early summer into late fall or early winter. Little if any dormant period. And most plants from temperate climates - like the rosemary - start their growth quite early. I repot whenever I get to it or the need arises - the calendar does not play much of a factor nor have I seen it have much of an impact :-) I tend to do much of my repotting of any outdoor containers in spring - I certainly do not wait until June - that is far to late in the season!! But if I need to do a lot of root pruning, I generally will do so earlier, as the plant is just about to emerge from dormancy. But even that is situation-dependent. I have done root pruning in midsummer as well and with equal success.

It is helpful to put your growing zone in your name so people can see what climate you are growing. I don't believe anyone looks at the profiles. Because you are in NC, I would definitely repot your plant now. As Arthur stated, the media the plant is in looks worn out and wet. You can buy potting mixes online or look in Home Depot or other big box stores for orchid mixes. You could move your plant outside for the summer in a shady spot. The fresh air is good for it as is the stronger light. To get it to bloom next winter, it will need cooler temps in the fall so you could leave your plant outside until the nights get cool and you see new spikes developing. Jane