When I started re-potting, I understood how not ready I was for it.
Firstly plant didn't want to come out of the pot. I pulled, I shaked I hit on the bottom - nothing helped. Finally I cut the pot open - luckily it was thin nursery pot and large scissors did the job.
This was inside:
Secondly - roots didn't want to untangle. I wanted to remove the old bark from the ball, so I placed it into sink with water and moved it around in swirly motions - everything stayed tight. I tried to untangle them with my fingers but it seemed that roots just grew to each other for good. My awkward fingers broke many good roots and I stopped. This is the best I could do:
Thirdly, it appeared to be a single plant after all, those two "separate" growths are actually connected by rhizome and to my horror I didn't have any plastic orchid pot that would fit all the remaining roots properly. So I had to pot it into clay one:
Probably would have to water it more often then if it was in a plastic pot.
Hopefully it will survive all these manipulations and environment changes.
I hate it when a new orchid comes with such overgrown roots. I had a similar nightmare with my first cymbidium. The poor plant lost all but a couple of the smallest roots to rot/breakage after my misguided repotting attempt (as well as losing half a dozen leaves). Knowing when to give up in detangling the roots must be a learned skill, because I certainly didn't have it then.
ReplyDeleteFortunately mine recovered within a couple months and promptly regrew all the roots again. Hopefully your paph is equally resilient, no matter what the immediate fallout of the forcible detangling.
Thanks Maria. I am always terrified to break the roots when repotting any orchid. Glad yours grew new ones. Hope now being spring will help too. Seems like all my 'chids are having a growing boost now :)
ReplyDelete