How to Repot an Orchid
Phalaenopsis roots (photo credit: RainFox via Flickr, CC 2.0)
While conducting maintenance for a client last month, I realized that his orchid was practically screaming for a bigger pot. Many orchid owners I talk to can’t remember the last time they repotted their plant—perhaps the overarching assumption that orchids are temperamental means that a lot of people leave them alone out of fear of messing something up. After all, the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” maxim does often apply to plants.
our client’s orchid before repotting
I recommend that orchid owners try to emulate the plant’s native environment as much as possible, but most orchids are epiphytic and grow on trees. That’s not the easiest situation to recreate, so most of us pot our orchids in bark. The thought is that potting in bark, which comes in chunks big enough to help maintain airflow—especially if you’re also using an orchid pot—joins the orchid to its native growing medium, albeit not in its native form.
Orchid bark is widely available for sale in stories and online. Generally, whatever bark you buy and use will fertilize your orchid for about 9 months (just as repotting in new soil offers nutrients to houseplants). But potting an orchid isn’t quite the same as potting a typical houseplant, largely because an orchids’ roots are thick and unruly. They don’t go down into the dirt like the roots of a normal plant—they sprawl all over the place, searching out nutrients and moisture in the air, looking for spots to attach to, and for some species, even photosynthesizing!
If you can’t remember the last time you repotted your orchid (or if you never have), it’s probably time for a repot. If the roots are growing so much that the plant is becoming unstable in its pot or lifting up out of the pot, then it’s time. If your orchid is in a clear pot, look at the roots and see how crowded they are. When a pot becomes full of roots, as in the case of our client and his orchid, then a repot is in order.
It's easy to get an orchid out of the pot thanks to the chunky bark. Usually, you tip the pot over and it all falls right out. You’ll also want to pick carefully the small pieces of bark stuck on the roots.
Aerial roots of a phalaenopsis orchid (Image credit: Nefronus via Wikimedia)
When repotting an orchid, it’s fine to bury some of the roots in orchid bark, but it’s likely that some of the roots will still be sticking out of the pot (they’re not called aerial roots for nothing!). The most important thing is to not force the roots into the pot and not to pack the bark in too tightly. An orchid’s roots can snap off, so you want to be sure they’re not being bent or smooshed. Orchid bark helps with that—unlike soil, which you can pack in as densely as you want, bark pieces are bigger and preserve pockets of air in the pot, which in turn promotes air flow and prevents rot. Pot up the orchid so that it’s stable in its pot (you don’t want it flopping over) but isn’t suffocated by bark. Wait roughly a week to water so the roots can soak up any lingering moisture and so the plant can start adjusting.
If you're unsure whether your orchid needs to be repotted or would like us to handle the repotting for you, schedule a complimentary discovery call with us today!
Joelle Renstrom, Horticulturist and Blog Writer at Maison Green.
