What is the best way to grow these? I won one at a society meeting and have
had it for about two years now. It grows great vegetatively, but does not
have flowers. I read somewhere that they like to be rootbound and this one
certainly is. (About 15 pseudobulbs in a 4 inch pot, but the roots are in
great condition.) I;m going to repot it soon, I think, unless told
otherwise. Any help would be appreciated...

Ray Lloyd

I;m going to repot it soon,

I just recently bought a dendrochilum. Not Magnum, but
filo-something or other. The vendor told me NOT to repot
it. Ever. Instead, when the roots start growing outside the
existing pot, just stick it down in a larger one. The one
I bought was already 'repotted' in this manner. He burned
a few extra holes for drainage and air circulation into
it then glued (I think) the bottom of the original pot
to the interior of the second. The one I have has at
least 20 flower spikes started.

Tracey

Using this pot in a pot system would only lead to
trouble as water cannot freely flow throughout the
potting mixture.

I'm just passing on what was told to me. The way he
had the pots set up, though, looked like there was
plenty of water making it through. And no potting
mixture in the second pot, just air.

Tracey

On Fri, 04 Apr 2003 19:59:33 GMT, Tracey
wrote:

Using this pot in a pot system would only lead to
trouble as water cannot freely flow throughout the
potting mixture.

I'm just passing on what was told to me. The way he
had the pots set up, though, looked like there was
plenty of water making it through. And no potting
mixture in the second pot, just air.

Tracey

If there is no mix... What is the reason for the larger pot?
What does it contain? Is he just protecting roots that would be
arial, or keeping them curling within the pot? What about the
quality of the mix in the first pot? Does it not break down?
ODD.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

Susan Erickson writes:
If there is no mix... What is the reason for the larger pot?
What does it contain? Is he just protecting roots that would be
arial, or keeping them curling within the pot? What about the
quality of the mix in the first pot? Does it not break down?

I have seen a similar setup in one of the local shops (
http://www.orkidespesialisten.no , in norwegian, sorry ). He usually
has a plastic mesh pot with the orchid and medium in, which he then
puts into a larger pot. The bigger pot keeps some moisture around the
plant, the mesh pot lets masses of air into the medium and allows easy
drainage.

He also said that the roots are bound to grow through the mesh, making
a mess when you need to repot.

I have gone for an intermediate solution for my vandaceous orchids. I
use ceramic pots with huge chunks of fir bark (Expanded clay pellets
didn't work too well, Ray. I tried, and barely saved the plant. I am
wondering about trying again with large chunks of pumice at some time,
probably when I get my hands on a flask of vandas). I have taken an
8mm drill bit for ceramics and made lots of holes around the sides of
the clay pot. It seems to work like a charm so far (only two months
since I started doing this. Caveat emptor). The best of all is that a
small amount of water (1mm or so - what runs out after watering)
around the base of the pot only acts as a reservoir for keeping the
clay moist longer. I had a problem with the roots in the bottom of the
pot staying wet forever if there was any water at all in the bottom -
there was no passage of air because the water blocked up the hole.

Geir

What is the reason for the larger pot? What does it
contain? Is he just protecting roots that would be
arial, or keeping them curling within the pot?
What about the quality of the mix in the first pot?
Does it not break down?

All very good questions, Sue. And ones, as a newbie to
all this, that I didn't ask. Well, most of them. The outer
pots are for protection for the roots that have grown
out of the inner pot. The mix seems to be (from my
untrained eye) sphagnum moss. Breaking down? I don't
know. But, I know where he does business when not at
shows smile and since I liked his prices and the fact
that he didn't just carry the common phals and dends
that I see everywhere else, I'm planning on visiting him
in the near future. If I can break through the (mild to
moderate) language barrier (older Japanese couple), I'll
see what his answers are.

Tracey

"Geir Harris Hedemark" wrote in message
...
Susan Erickson writes:
If there is no mix... What is the reason for the larger pot?
What does it contain? Is he just protecting roots that would be
arial, or keeping them curling within the pot? What about the
quality of the mix in the first pot? Does it not break down?

I have seen a similar setup in one of the local shops (
http://www.orkidespesialisten.no , in norwegian, sorry ). He usually
has a plastic mesh pot with the orchid and medium in, which he then
puts into a larger pot. The bigger pot keeps some moisture around the
plant, the mesh pot lets masses of air into the medium and allows easy
drainage.
I have done this from time to time. I've used it with a few plants in
sphagnum. It gets the air down to the bottom of the pot and it is possible
to adjust the drying by going to a larger outside pot. If the outside pot
is clay or ceramic it also helps to stabilize a plant that keeps blowing
over.
________________
Ken Woodward
Newton, MA
http://kwoodward.net