I was just drilling out new pots and got to thinking I'd like to hear from some of the experienced growers about their opininos on this topic.
I was thinking mostly about Paphs, but wonder also if you have the same schedule or a different one for Phrags.

Thank you, I look forward to reading everyone's results!

Hi Heather:
I repot my seedlings every 6 months and I repot all my other orchids once a year. It depends on how the medium looks. If it looks soggy I will repot it.

Paphman

Heather

The every 2nd year option is missing. I think many paph growers my self included repot every 2nd year.



Uri Baruk france

Heather

The every 2nd year option is missing. I think many paph growers my self included repot every 2nd year.



Uri Baruk france

Thanks, Uri, I added the option in for you and others. :)

I was repotting twice a year with bark. I just repotted all of my paphs into CHC, so hopefully only once or so a year from now on.

I usually repot mine when the roots fill the pot or when the media begins to break down.

Do you want best intentions, or what actually happens?

Best intentions: Once per year in bark. Every two years in coconut, but I'd like 18 months.

Actually happens: Repot when the plant looks like hell or outgrows the pot. Preferrably the latter.

I may shade closer to best intentions once I catch up with repotting everything else. Although I must confess, repotting is not one of my favorite chores. I'm still training the neighbor kid. Right now it still takes two people to repot one plant, that isn't very efficient. He has potential though.

I still love repotting, I find it very theraputic, and all the prep that goes along with it. I do a lot of plant thinking during the process.

Rob - that's great about your neighborhood helper - how old his he? I think one of the girl's next door is pretty intrigued by my plants but I don't think she'd be reliable enough to help much.

I still love repotting, I find it very theraputic, and all the prep that goes along with it. I do a lot of plant thinking during the process.

Rob - that's great about your neighborhood helper - how old his he? I think one of the girl's next door is pretty intrigued by my plants but I don't think she'd be reliable enough to help much.

He's 13. Barely. His sister (15) babysits for us. And she has helped me repot a couple times too. I over-pay them both. Substantially. But I never have to ask twice for babysitting or help around the house... I figure I can afford to pay what I think their time is worth to me, and it builds a good work ethic.

So, I have him do other things too. Mainly mowing the lawn. I have a really big lawn. 13 is old enough to mow lawns. Yesterday he helped put another layer of shade cloth on the greenhouse, picked up cut logs and brush (I took out a fairly big dead tree), and helped me with a few other odd jobs. I think at that age he is old enough to do some things unsupervised (like the lawn), but certainly doesn't have the maturity to come up with his own set of tasks. A good helper, in other words, but I wouldn't leave him in charge of the greenhouse for a couple weeks.

He has only helped me repot three times so far. The first two were repotting phals into a peat based mix. That is pretty easy, and although he isn't nearly as fast as I am, it was useful. The last time was potting with my coconut mix, and he still needs more practice. Too gentle, the plants were all wobbly in the pots. But the first few hundred plants I repotted probably weren't perfect either, so I think he will improve.

He really loves working in the greenhouse, tells all his friends about his cool 'job', seems eager to learn about orchids, etc. That might wear off. But if not, in a year or two I'll have a very skilled helper who I can trust with my plants. Seems like a good deal to me.

For mature plants, at least every year.

For growing seedlings, at least every 6 months.

I do not like using fertilizers at all. So I use a very rich, varied potting mix. And I make sure to change it often enough to ensure it is doing the job of providing all the plants need.

I try not to repot as long as I possibly can, however circumstances make me repot about every 2 years. I try to make a potting mix that will last a loonnnggg time but have been unsuccessful so far. Usually I repot due to:

1. Plant deteriorates
2. Potting mix deteriorates. (i.e. I notice the mix is not drying as fast as I
want it to, which means either the mix has deteriorated or too much roots
have died)
3. Not much mix is left in the pot (root bound)
4. Plant needs to be moved to a pot one size higher up.

I never divide my plants and like the overgrown look to my paphs.

I get too repot all the plants I want at my volunteer job. I just finished putting all the phals inot a CHC mix, I am still working on Paph Seedlings, and then onto all the Multiflorals and Phrags. After that Lycastes, Catts, Onc, and then the Stanhopeas and Gongoras I believe. We'll see. I am lucky to beb able to work at this greenhouse. I have tons of work, and gives me a welath of knowledge. Actually you New Englanders...my boss Tom Nasser is making a lecture tour up that way next week. For hsi really good Bulbo talk. I think he is in Connecticut, Mass(Boston area I think), Vermont, and New Hampshire.

Hello to all, I transplant every 2 year the old plants and transplant immediately all new adquisicion or buys to adapt it to my climate and to my middle of cultivation

I only repot whent the plant has outgrown it's pot because all mine are in S/H.

Hi All -
Like many of you I repot seedlings every 6 mths -
most others after flowering - but I found some multi floras dislike being disturbed -parishii ,philippinense these sometimes only flower every 2 yrs . like one other poster said - mix has to vary -from plant to plant according to the lenght of time between pottings .
the other thing ive found is in the insige group if you want a plant with 10-12 flowers you dont repot as often as for some reason they just fall apart and your left with nurmous plants instesd of one big one .-
Guess this is why repotting gets put off sometimes its not all straight foward . :? Billie