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_momsnewaccount•

Put it into a bigger terracotta pot, old pot and all. I got that tip from Chadwick's Orchids.

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walldoorb4OP•

Huh, that's a much easier plan than I had. Will not the old pot cause issues for the orchids?

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_momsnewaccount•

Not at all, they just keep growing around the old pot and into the new one. I found the link!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CU2WNiClBwI/?igshid=MDlmYmQ2NmI=

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walldoorb4OP•

That's kinda crazy, I'll consider this. Thank you

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donnycruz76•

If I can add to this method, you can also use a hammer to break off parts of the terracotta that the roots aren't attached to.

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_momsnewaccount•

Good luck 👏

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_a_verb•

If these are outdoor orchids then why repot?

But if you want to, soak it in a bucket of water for 20 min or so. This softens the roots. I use superthrive in the water as a root toner. Roots that green up are alive. anything that stays papery or mushy is dead. Pull the roots away from the pot gently being carful with the green ones. Crack the pot (I have a wooden mallet just for this task) and pull out the medium and whatever roots you can. Clip the dead roots and repot. This could take a couple hours.

Cattleyas and dendrobiums like to be crowded so don't oversize the pot. This plan could be divided and put in small pots. Personally the plastic pots are boring and don't offer any nutrients like terra cota or wood baskets. How about mounting it to rough sawn cedar and turning it into an all day project.

Have fun.

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walldoorb4OP•

They're just really gangly and have significantly overgrown their old pots, I'm not sure there's any media left in there.

I'll make sure to be careful with the roots. I've read the 20 minute soaking somewhere before, seems to be effective.

My thought with the plastic pot, was mostly so that this doesn't happen again. I much prefer terracotta myself, but orchids just stick to them so readily. My mom already has a mounted orchid outside, I'm sure she'd appreciate the idea of attaching it to some wood. Perhaps mounting it to an actual tree outside would be fun.

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donnycruz76•

On top of the advice already given I would suggest dividing the plant and mounting one of the divisions in a tree. Those plants obviously love the conditions in your garden and it would add an extra element to your garden having them grow as nature intended.

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walldoorb4OP•

My ma seems to disagree with this idea, she's worried if the tree falls, the orchid will go with it. I'll try and see if I can convince her because it's a good idea and I'd love seeing the orchids get reaallly big, allowed to grow all over the tree :)

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donnycruz76•

Nah, that's not really an issue. Firstly while some trees have a lifespan of only 20 years, most live much longer, some live hundreds of years so it is unlikely to fall. Secondly if it did fall, just hose the orchid until the roots fully absorb the water and then gently peel it off the tree. If a few roots break this will not hurt the orchid. Thirdly if it is a division the other half of the orchid is still happily growing in a pot somewhere else in the yard so you haven't lost anything. As long as it is a mature plant with a minimum 3 or 4 green canes/psuedobulbs it should take from the look of things in the pic. Between you and the rain keep it watered as much as it has been getting in the pot and once you see the new roots attaching to the tree and a new growth shoot up you can stop fussing over it.

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walldoorb4OP•

We have an African Tulip tree that fell when Ian hit us. It's been regrowing since then, but it'll likely be next summer before it gets its long branches back. Another tree of ours snapped in half a couple years ago, but has since grown much stronger. I'm personally not too worried even if something does fall, as you say, the orchid can be recovered and even if it does break a little, it should still survive. My ma has the last say though since they're hers. The current plan is to put them in coconut coir baskets as those are fast draining and can come in a big enough size for how big the orchids are.

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walldoorb4OP•

I have 3 plants like this living outside, 2 Cattleyas and a Phalaenopsis. We got them like this a couple years ago from a previous homeowner and no one wants to bother them since they bloom every year and seem to be doing alright. The wooden bit is meant to attach to a longer one that holds 4 terracotta pots, but as you can see its rather broken.

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Specific questions:

  1. What time would be best to repot?

  2. Are the roots dead/should I try to save any?

- (My current plan is to break the pots and put them in plastic instead since orchid roots don't stick to those)

  1. Would it be better to divide the plants or leave them all together?

- (My ma owns these and would prefer to have one big plant, but I'm thinking it may be better to split and to appease her, put those pieces in the same pot)

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