The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.
jc

--
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/jc_atm/



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John Carruthers wrote:

The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.
jc


No, it is just a sign of a happy plant. If you haven't repotted in
a while, you might want to do it now while the spikes are still small
(assuming they are small). Best time to repot is probably spring or
early summer after the flowers have dropped (or whenever the plant isn't
in flower or spike, if you can find such a time), so if the mix looks
like it will hold out that long, then wait. However, if there is any
question about the quality of the potting mix, it is best to repot
rather than to risk rotting the roots off. No roots is a much worse
problem than a few poking out through the holes...

If you grow in a greenhouse sometimes the roots become part of the
bench... Then they break when you move the plant. But the plants don't
seem to care too much. If you are growing inside, you usually end up
moving the plant often enough that the roots don't get tangled up or
attached to other objects. When you do repot, you might break some of
those roots coming out the bottom. Don't freak out, it won't hurt the
plant - they will grow new roots fast in response to fresh potting mix.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list )

John Carruthers wrote:

The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.
jc


No, it is just a sign of a happy plant. If you haven't repotted in
a while, you might want to do it now while the spikes are still small
(assuming they are small). Best time to repot is probably spring or
early summer after the flowers have dropped (or whenever the plant isn't
in flower or spike, if you can find such a time), so if the mix looks
like it will hold out that long, then wait. However, if there is any
question about the quality of the potting mix, it is best to repot
rather than to risk rotting the roots off. No roots is a much worse
problem than a few poking out through the holes...

If you grow in a greenhouse sometimes the roots become part of the
bench... Then they break when you move the plant. But the plants don't
seem to care too much. If you are growing inside, you usually end up
moving the plant often enough that the roots don't get tangled up or
attached to other objects. When you do repot, you might break some of
those roots coming out the bottom. Don't freak out, it won't hurt the
plant - they will grow new roots fast in response to fresh potting mix.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list )

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 18:24:48 +0100, "John Carruthers"
wrote:

The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.

Phal roots tend to wander, so for them to simply poke out holes at the
bottom of the pot doesn't mean much. You need to repot only if the
potting media is breaking down or the plant has outgrown the pot it's
in. Do make sure that the roots don't block the pot from draining
well.

deg

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 18:24:48 +0100, "John Carruthers"
wrote:

The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.

Phal roots tend to wander, so for them to simply poke out holes at the
bottom of the pot doesn't mean much. You need to repot only if the
potting media is breaking down or the plant has outgrown the pot it's
in. Do make sure that the roots don't block the pot from draining
well.

deg

Maybe, maybe not. Some phals seem more "rooty" than others.

First, consider who you bought it from. In general, I've found that if
I get a phal from a reputable vendor, it generally does not need
immediate repotting. If it comes from Home Depot and vendors of that
ilk, it is often overdue for potting.

Second, look at the media. Spaghnam breaks down faster than bark. If
it's dark, it's broken down. Also, give the media a good
inspection--recently I bought a phal that was potted in spaghnam with
bark on top. A test to see whether the media is broken down: sniff the
media. If it smells bad, that's a clue that the media had broken down
and the plant needs repotting. Also, look at how the water flows out of
the pot when you flush the media--if it gushes out, chances are thtat
the media is okay, but if it dribbles out, the media is probably so
broken down that it is clogging the drain holes. Also, you might try
sticking a toothpick or wood shish-kabob skewer in one of the drain
holes--when you pull it out, look at what's sticking to the skewer--a
lot of fine, silty stuff is not a good sign.

If the plant is in spike or in bloom and you repot it, you will
probably lose the bloom or spike. One thing that I've done is with 50%
success is to take an in-spike plant out of broken-down media and,
instead of a real repotting, I throw out the bottom broken-down media
and replace it with fresh bark and then set the plant on top of the
fresh bark. Then, when the plant finishes blooming, I do a full-up
repotting and replace all of the media.

Whenever I've repotted a plant that has roots coming out of the bottom,
I always destroy the pot in favor of saving a healthy root.

BTW, a phal can look pretty healthy on top but have dying roots.



In article , John Carruthers
wrote:

The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.
jc

Maybe, maybe not. Some phals seem more "rooty" than others.

First, consider who you bought it from. In general, I've found that if
I get a phal from a reputable vendor, it generally does not need
immediate repotting. If it comes from Home Depot and vendors of that
ilk, it is often overdue for potting.

Second, look at the media. Spaghnam breaks down faster than bark. If
it's dark, it's broken down. Also, give the media a good
inspection--recently I bought a phal that was potted in spaghnam with
bark on top. A test to see whether the media is broken down: sniff the
media. If it smells bad, that's a clue that the media had broken down
and the plant needs repotting. Also, look at how the water flows out of
the pot when you flush the media--if it gushes out, chances are thtat
the media is okay, but if it dribbles out, the media is probably so
broken down that it is clogging the drain holes. Also, you might try
sticking a toothpick or wood shish-kabob skewer in one of the drain
holes--when you pull it out, look at what's sticking to the skewer--a
lot of fine, silty stuff is not a good sign.

If the plant is in spike or in bloom and you repot it, you will
probably lose the bloom or spike. One thing that I've done is with 50%
success is to take an in-spike plant out of broken-down media and,
instead of a real repotting, I throw out the bottom broken-down media
and replace it with fresh bark and then set the plant on top of the
fresh bark. Then, when the plant finishes blooming, I do a full-up
repotting and replace all of the media.

Whenever I've repotted a plant that has roots coming out of the bottom,
I always destroy the pot in favor of saving a healthy root.

BTW, a phal can look pretty healthy on top but have dying roots.



In article , John Carruthers
wrote:

The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.
jc

Maybe, maybe not. Some phals seem more "rooty" than others.

First, consider who you bought it from. In general, I've found that if
I get a phal from a reputable vendor, it generally does not need
immediate repotting. If it comes from Home Depot and vendors of that
ilk, it is often overdue for potting.

Second, look at the media. Spaghnam breaks down faster than bark. If
it's dark, it's broken down. Also, give the media a good
inspection--recently I bought a phal that was potted in spaghnam with
bark on top. A test to see whether the media is broken down: sniff the
media. If it smells bad, that's a clue that the media had broken down
and the plant needs repotting. Also, look at how the water flows out of
the pot when you flush the media--if it gushes out, chances are thtat
the media is okay, but if it dribbles out, the media is probably so
broken down that it is clogging the drain holes. Also, you might try
sticking a toothpick or wood shish-kabob skewer in one of the drain
holes--when you pull it out, look at what's sticking to the skewer--a
lot of fine, silty stuff is not a good sign.

If the plant is in spike or in bloom and you repot it, you will
probably lose the bloom or spike. One thing that I've done is with 50%
success is to take an in-spike plant out of broken-down media and,
instead of a real repotting, I throw out the bottom broken-down media
and replace it with fresh bark and then set the plant on top of the
fresh bark. Then, when the plant finishes blooming, I do a full-up
repotting and replace all of the media.

Whenever I've repotted a plant that has roots coming out of the bottom,
I always destroy the pot in favor of saving a healthy root.

BTW, a phal can look pretty healthy on top but have dying roots.



In article , John Carruthers
wrote:

The roots on my latest Phal are poking through the holes in the bottom
of the pot. Is this a hint that it needs re-potting ? Everything else
is fine, new leaves, spikes etc.
jc

dd wrote:
Maybe, maybe not. Some phals seem more "rooty" than others.

Thanks everyone, I'll leave well alone then,sorry for the tardy reply,
server problems.
jc