View Single Post
  #9   Report Post  
Old 04-01-2005, 03:28 AM
Steve
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Casey Wilson wrote:
.....................................
....... My question is, should I repot it now or wait until it finishes
blooming? I put the pot (typical plastic thingy they are sold in, this one
is four inches) in a catch tray and poured a cup over water over the medium.
The water ran through almost immediately.
What I've read so far is that phalaenopsis is sensitive to overwatering,
so I want to be careful about that. Experience with other flowers and plants
is that repotting can be traumatic, and I don't want to stress the plant.
Your suggestions are invited.

Regards,

Casey Wilson
Freelance Writer and Photographer


Hello cousin Casey,
It's been a long time since I got my first orchid (also a Phal.) but I
remember how it is. You have your first orchid and it sits there not
doing much so you want to do something for it. I looked at mine for a
few days and convinced myself that it needed repotting. It didn't need
anything but I moved it up to a bigger pot anyway. Of course I also
wanted to water it about twice as often as it wanted to be watered.
Being a Phal, it was somewhat forgiving of my foolishness and lived on.

Don't be afraid to pull out some of the potting material to look at the
roots. If you see some healty, firm roots, then don't try to repot it
until it is done blooming (if even then). Getting a look down into the
pot may also reveal more moisture than you expected to see, which may
help you to resist over watering. Over watering and rotting all the
roots is one of the fastest ways to kill an orchid. Well, freezing is
much faster but I'm not worried about that. ;-)

Steve (Wilson)