Repotting triage

by Dot Henley

You realize you won’t get every orchid repotted that deserves to be repotted. What to do? Repot the most needy which would be these:

1. Any new orchid that you bought and that you have not repotted should be repotted. Many growers save labor costs by selling off the plants that need to be repotted. Furthermore the potting media used by growers probably won’t match what you use and will need to be watered differently.

2. Orchids with dying middles or leads probably have a rot beginning. Repot fast before you lose the whole plant. Cut off the sick/dying area and keep cutting with clean clippers for every cut until you reach clean tissue.

3. Orchids with established weeds need to be repotted to rid them of the weeds that will spread to your whole collection if you don’t stop them. IF you pull baby weeds EVERY week you won’t have established weeds.

4. Orchids that have an infestation of scale or mealy bugs should be repotted. Remove ALL the old medium, give the plant a hose bath unless it has very tender leaves, spray the nude plant with an insecticide, and repot the plant in a clean pot with clean medium.

5. Orchids that are giving off a foul odor and are not Bulbophyllums in bloom probably have rotten roots and need to have fresh medium.

Triage may let you delay repotting the less needy and YOU just became an “Orchid Doctor”.

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