Orchids should be repotted when new; every year or two; or when crowded roots push up and out of the pot. Spring: time for a close-up. Other than watering and occasionally fertilizing them, you probably don't look closely at your orchids all that often when they're not in bloom.
Orchids generally need to be repotted once a year. The best time to repot is just after flowering, or when new growth appears.
Orchids are not just for horticulturists and commercial greenhouse growers — many varieties grow well as houseplants and can live for between 10 and 15 years. Key to keeping your orchid alive and blooming at least annually is to provide the best possible growing environment and stick to a consistent care routine.
Most orchids grown as. In order to mimic their preferred growing conditions, repotting orchids into specialist orchid compost or a mix of moss, bark chips and perlite, is essential to maintaining their health and vitality.
When growing orchids in containers, be sure to select pots with 4 to 12 drainage holes. Most orchids do prefer shallower squat pots, as their roots don't like all the moisture retained in deep pots and they just don't need the depth anyway as their roots spread out, not down.
While orchids prefer a small pot—weaving their roots through the compost as they grow—they eventually run out of room. That's when their roots push the plant up above the rim of the pot or reach out into the air, looking for breathing space—a sure sign that it's time to re-pot.
When potting an orchid, leave aerial roots in the air and potted roots in the potting medium. Aerial roots have a thicker coating of velamin and are physiologically different than roots that are growing in the potting medium.
For the most part, you should avoid repotting when in bud if it is not necessary. If you repot when your plant is actually blooming, it is normal for the flowers to drop faster than normal, sometimes almost immediately. Only repot when blooming if you feel it is absolutely necessary.
To make the roots more pliable, soak the plant for about 5 minutes in water. Then, ease the plant out of its pot. Orchids can become very attached to their pots, and removing them can be a little tricky. Orchid roots will cling to clay.
Unlike most houseplants, you don't need to keep orchid moss evenly moist; if it stays too moist, the orchid can rot. You can also water your orchid like a traditional houseplant – just apply a splash of water to the moss once every seven to 10 days.
Orchids require enough sunlight to produce flowers, but some require full sun for the whole day while others grow better only in the shade. Most orchids fall somewhere in the middle – requiring indirect sunlight or dappled light.
The best time to repot an orchid is when the flowers are beginning to look spent and wilted. In Australia, this usually happens sometime between October and November. When blooms reach maturity, ensure you give them a small clip at the stem, just below where the last flower grew.
Step 4: Put the plant in a new potting mix.
If you're unsure what to do with orchid air roots, know that it's best to keep them above the soil, especially if they're old. Doing so will prevent the introduction of dead matter into your new pot when these parts inevitably die, and new ones take their place.
After you have re-potted your orchid, it should be watered thoroughly. For the first couple of weeks af- ter repotting, fertilize when watering with Better-Gro® Better-Bloom® Orchid Fertilizer, which is high in phosphorus and will stimulate root growth.
Yes, you should cut off the yellow stem on your orchid as it will not produce any more flowers. 'When the flowers have finished on an orchid, the flower stem will naturally start to die off and turn from green to yellow, to brown.
When you buy a new plant it may have been in the same medium for a long time already. A good rule of thumb is to repot a new orchid as soon as practical after it is purchased. Usually this means when it goes out of bloom. Orchids need to be repotted before their media breaks down and smothers the roots.
Like all plants, orchids require sufficient light in order to produce flowers. Insufficient light is the most common cause of failure to re-bloom your orchid. Leaf color indicates if the amount of light is adequate.
If the number of air roots increases, it may be a sign that your orchid needs to be repotted. If the roots that are in the growing medium are having a hard time absorbing nutrients, then the plant may send out more aerial roots. Check the roots in the pot before deciding to repot.
In the wild, orchids are able to live about 20 years, depending on the type of orchid and the environment. Potted orchids do not have quite the same life span, but with proper care, it is not usual for orchids to live for between 10 to 15 years. There are some reports of orchids living for significantly longer.
Most orchids require a 4, 5 or 6 inch pot. There are seedlings and miniatures that require smaller pots, older specimen plants and some genera (Cymbidium, Phaius, large Cattleya...) that often require 8 inch pots or bigger but the majority of orchids sold in groceries, box stores, florists and the like are not these.