Hi all. As I previously mentioned, I have a phal that is constantly in
bloom. It looks healthy, but the roots are everywhere and the medium looks
like it could be changed. I planned on repotting the plant in Jan. 2007, but
then I had to make emergency trip to Europe, and when I came back month
later, the phal was in bloom. I thought, fine, I will repot it when it is
done blooming, but before the flowers dried up, another flower spike formed
below the flowers, and then another one. Now not only the "old" flower spike
is in bloom, there also is another flower spike with 7 flowers on it. It
sprouted sometime in February this year, right above the old one. As shown
in the picture.

Could I possibly repot a blooming phal? Or would it kill the plant?

Hi Maggie's Mom,
The rule of thumb is to repot when new growth appears, (new
roots with green tips)
Now, if that were my plant, I would cut the flower spikes & put them in a
vase. They last a long time.
I would repot using some chopped up sphagnum moss & large bark with some
charcoal. I would pot it up in a
plastic pot with lots of drainage holes then insert it into your designers
pot.
First trim off all old mushy roots & rinse plant, dust any cut roots with a
little cinnamon & pot up.
I have just done this with a phal that was left on my doorstep (the
words out) except I didn't cut the flower spike because
all roots were good to go, umm grow! *g* Also it is a young plant to boot.
Anyway I would be curious to find out the condition of your plants roots
if you do decide to repot, also what
others have to say.
Cheers Wendy


"Maggie's Mom" wrote in message
. ..
Hi all. As I previously mentioned, I have a phal that is constantly in
bloom. It looks healthy, but the roots are everywhere and the medium looks
like it could be changed. I planned on repotting the plant in Jan. 2007,
but then I had to make emergency trip to Europe, and when I came back
month later, the phal was in bloom. I thought, fine, I will repot it when
it is done blooming, but before the flowers dried up, another flower spike
formed below the flowers, and then another one. Now not only the "old"
flower spike is in bloom, there also is another flower spike with 7
flowers on it. It sprouted sometime in February this year, right above
the old one. As shown in the picture.

Could I possibly repot a blooming phal? Or would it kill the plant?

MM,

I'd repot it now. If you look at the roots, you'll see that the aerial roots
(the ones not in the pot) look pretty good, but the lower ones don't. You
can't be certain until you pull it out of the pot, but it's a safe bet that
what's in the pot isn't so hot. You'll need to cut off anything that is
rotten or dessicated and seal the cuts.

Cut the spike off or not; your choice. It's not ideal, but I've repotted at
awkard times out of necessity, and there were no ill effects.

Diana

"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
Hi Maggie's Mom,
The rule of thumb is to repot when new growth appears, (new
roots with green tips)
Now, if that were my plant, I would cut the flower spikes & put them in a
vase. They last a long time.
I would repot using some chopped up sphagnum moss & large bark with
some charcoal. I would pot it up in a
plastic pot with lots of drainage holes then insert it into your designers
pot.
First trim off all old mushy roots & rinse plant, dust any cut roots with
a little cinnamon & pot up.
I have just done this with a phal that was left on my doorstep (the
words out) except I didn't cut the flower spike because
all roots were good to go, umm grow! *g* Also it is a young plant to
boot.
Anyway I would be curious to find out the condition of your plants
roots if you do decide to repot, also what
others have to say.
Cheers Wendy


"Maggie's Mom" wrote in message
. ..
Hi all. As I previously mentioned, I have a phal that is constantly in
bloom. It looks healthy, but the roots are everywhere and the medium
looks like it could be changed. I planned on repotting the plant in Jan.
2007, but then I had to make emergency trip to Europe, and when I came
back month later, the phal was in bloom. I thought, fine, I will repot it
when it is done blooming, but before the flowers dried up, another flower
spike formed below the flowers, and then another one. Now not only the
"old" flower spike is in bloom, there also is another flower spike with 7
flowers on it. It sprouted sometime in February this year, right above
the old one. As shown in the picture.

Could I possibly repot a blooming phal? Or would it kill the plant?

I don't think I can actually force myself to cut the flower spikes - cut
flowers are not "my thing". You wrote that you repotted your plant without
cutting the spike - did it lose the flowers after repotting?

The roots, from what I can see, look reasonably good. There are some brand
new roots, and yes, couple of them are most certainly dead. I guess the
commercially available orchid growing medium will have to do, as I don't
have access to any special orchid things. All the orchids I have do fine in
the orchid medium available at either Home Depot or Lowe's. They carry at
least two kinds: coarse and fine. Sometimes they have the medium mix.

Dust cuts with cinnamon? (I guess I have just shown my level of
ignorance....) rinse in tap water, or distilled? Or distilled with few drops
of Superthrive?

Thanks for words of advice; peace, - Maggie's Mom.


"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
Hi Maggie's Mom,
The rule of thumb is to repot when new growth appears, (new
roots with green tips)
Now, if that were my plant, I would cut the flower spikes & put them in a
vase. They last a long time.
I would repot using some chopped up sphagnum moss & large bark with
some charcoal. I would pot it up in a
plastic pot with lots of drainage holes then insert it into your designers
pot.
First trim off all old mushy roots & rinse plant, dust any cut roots with
a little cinnamon & pot up.
I have just done this with a phal that was left on my doorstep (the
words out) except I didn't cut the flower spike because
all roots were good to go, umm grow! *g* Also it is a young plant to
boot.
Anyway I would be curious to find out the condition of your plants
roots if you do decide to repot, also what
others have to say.
Cheers Wendy

Just be as gentle as possible and the plant will be fine. As far as cinnamon
is concerned, do not dust the root ball. You can make a paste of cinnamon
and Elmer's glue and just apply it where needed, if needed. If you are just
cutting off dead roots, I wouldn't bother with the paste. If you need to cut
out some rot, that's where you'd use it.

It's not uncommon, when repotting a Phal that's overdue, to find that the
*stem* in the pot has some rot on it. It that's so, cut it off.

Diana

"Maggie's Mom" wrote in message
. ..
I don't think I can actually force myself to cut the flower spikes - cut
flowers are not "my thing". You wrote that you repotted your plant without
cutting the spike - did it lose the flowers after repotting?

The roots, from what I can see, look reasonably good. There are some brand
new roots, and yes, couple of them are most certainly dead. I guess the
commercially available orchid growing medium will have to do, as I don't
have access to any special orchid things. All the orchids I have do fine
in the orchid medium available at either Home Depot or Lowe's. They carry
at least two kinds: coarse and fine. Sometimes they have the medium mix.

Dust cuts with cinnamon? (I guess I have just shown my level of
ignorance....) rinse in tap water, or distilled? Or distilled with few
drops of Superthrive?

Thanks for words of advice; peace, - Maggie's Mom.


"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
Hi Maggie's Mom,
The rule of thumb is to repot when new growth appears, (new
roots with green tips)
Now, if that were my plant, I would cut the flower spikes & put them in a
vase. They last a long time.
I would repot using some chopped up sphagnum moss & large bark with
some charcoal. I would pot it up in a
plastic pot with lots of drainage holes then insert it into your
designers pot.
First trim off all old mushy roots & rinse plant, dust any cut roots with
a little cinnamon & pot up.
I have just done this with a phal that was left on my doorstep (the
words out) except I didn't cut the flower spike because
all roots were good to go, umm grow! *g* Also it is a young plant to
boot.
Anyway I would be curious to find out the condition of your plants
roots if you do decide to repot, also what
others have to say.
Cheers Wendy

Ok about not cutting the spikes off & yes my repot is good & flowers are ok,
but it's a young plant with
very good roots.
Regular tap water is ok & I only put the cinnamon on any fresh cuts.
The coarse potting mix would be better. Some people even use styrofoam
peanuts with the mix.
Cheers Wendy

"Maggie's Mom" wrote in message
. ..
I don't think I can actually force myself to cut the flower spikes - cut
flowers are not "my thing". You wrote that you repotted your plant without
cutting the spike - did it lose the flowers after repotting?

The roots, from what I can see, look reasonably good. There are some brand
new roots, and yes, couple of them are most certainly dead. I guess the
commercially available orchid growing medium will have to do, as I don't
have access to any special orchid things. All the orchids I have do fine
in the orchid medium available at either Home Depot or Lowe's. They carry
at least two kinds: coarse and fine. Sometimes they have the medium mix.

Dust cuts with cinnamon? (I guess I have just shown my level of
ignorance....) rinse in tap water, or distilled? Or distilled with few
drops of Superthrive?

Thanks for words of advice; peace, - Maggie's Mom.


"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
Hi Maggie's Mom,
The rule of thumb is to repot when new growth appears, (new
roots with green tips)
Now, if that were my plant, I would cut the flower spikes & put them in a
vase. They last a long time.
I would repot using some chopped up sphagnum moss & large bark with
some charcoal. I would pot it up in a
plastic pot with lots of drainage holes then insert it into your
designers pot.
First trim off all old mushy roots & rinse plant, dust any cut roots with
a little cinnamon & pot up.
I have just done this with a phal that was left on my doorstep (the
words out) except I didn't cut the flower spike because
all roots were good to go, umm grow! *g* Also it is a young plant to
boot.
Anyway I would be curious to find out the condition of your plants
roots if you do decide to repot, also what
others have to say.
Cheers Wendy