Orchid Care and Transplants

Pots and Roots

• Orchids like lots of air circulation and good draining medium. There are special orchid pots with open areas along the sides that allow the roots to grow right out of the pot. This is normal and perfectly healthy. Roots may grow over the top rim of the pot and spread out around it -- but this isn't a signal that the plant needs repotting. You should repot if the plant becomes limp or the leaves go yellow or spotted, indicating there might be root rot. Always repot the orchid if the potting medium is old and broken down to a fine texture, as that texture holds too much water, and sitting in wet medium will kill the roots.

Pot Sizes

• Orchids belong in pots barely bigger than their root mass. They like to be snug and the chunky orchid medium that fills the pot helps to support them upright. Aim for a pot 1 to 2 inches bigger in circumference than the plant's roots; the new pot should accommodate about two years' growth. Be really careful when placing the roots in a new pot, though. If they are longer, wind them in a circle gently to avoid breaking them, then fill in with medium. Don't push the medium down too hard or you'll break fragile roots. Let the plant adjust to its new container and water it very lightly at first until it gets over the shock of being transplanted.

Dividing Plants

• Divide an overgrown orchid, with caution, to get a new plant. You want to minimize the trauma to the plant. Remove the orchid from its old pot and clean the roots of any clinging potting medium. Trim all dead or damaged roots with sterile scissors so you don't spread pathogens to healthy parts of the plant. Divide the orchid into sections that contain a few young roots and several leaves with pseudobulbs. Pseudobulbs are the fat sections at the bottom of leaves on some orchid plants like cattleyas and dendrobiums. They hold water and nutrients. Orchids without pseudobulbs should be separated into even sections. Plant each section in its own pot, ensuring the pots are not too big. A large pot will encourage the plant to put all its energy into growing roots instead of leaves and flowers.

Stabilizing Newly Potted Plants

• A tall cattleya or dendrobium may need support to remain firmly upright in its new pot. Use a thin but stiff bamboo stake to anchor the plant. Cut one end of the bamboo on an angle and then sterilize the cut in a bleach-water solution. Orchids catch viruses easily and they are nearly always fatal to the plants. Shove the bamboo stake, cut end down, into the orchid pot. Gather the green pseudobulbs together in one hand and hold them against the stake while you wrap a plant tie around them to hold them in place. New growth will spread across the pot, while the original plant is secured by the stake.