February 27, 2009
Repotting Phalaenopsis orchid?
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I bought a Phal from Lowes the other day. It's in flower and I know if I repot it now, I will probably lose the blooms, but it has been in this pot for at least a year according to the attached tag, and the potting medium smells mildewy. If I don't repot it now, will the plant die because of the mold? Please advise, I'm a newbie with orchids!
Thanks!
It looks like sphagnum moss, but it's kinda funky looking, there may be some bark in there.
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Comments on Repotting Phalaenopsis orchid? »
If you take it easy on watering, you could wait for maybe a month before deciding to repot. That way if you lose blooms when you DO repot, you'll have had a chance to enjoy it. I stick a wooden skewer, like the kind you use for kabobs (some people just use a pencil) into the media and let it sit for 5 minutes or so, then pull it out to see if it feels moist. If you can't tell, but it feels cool against your cheek or wrist, then you should hold off another day on watering. This may minimize the damage, anyway. Or go ahead and re-pot. You might lose the blooms but you'll know you're getting it into healthy mix. Keep in mind that the orchid has gone through most likely a rough re-potting before being shipped as well as a stressful journey to your store. It's kind of a difficult choice, I'm my opinion. Goodluck!
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