The exemplary care program for orchids includes the regular change to a larger culture pot. For the already sensitive flower beauties, this measure is associated with a high level of stress, so your special attention is required. These instructions explain how to properly plant orchids in a new container.

Orchids do not need to be repotted every year

Choose the best date carefully

Orchids want to move to a larger pot with fresh substrate every 2 to 3 years. At the latest when the strong roots push the plant out of the container, you should take this measure on the agenda. It is always high time to repot when the root strands grow out of the opening in the ground. Please adjust the date to the individual growth cycle of the orchid species. The plant should be either at the end of the flowering period or at the end of hibernation.

These materials should be readily available

So that the work on planting does not stall unnecessarily, please have these materials within reach:

  • An old sheet or plastic sheet as a dirt trap
  • Freshly sharpened and disinfected tools
  • Special orchid substrate from the trade or as an individual mix
  • Hand sprayer or spray bottle with lime-free water
  • Expanded clay (€19.73) lava granules (€13.99) or perlite
  • charcoal powder or cinnamon

Place transparent culture pots in different sizes, as it is usually not possible to tell in advance what diameter the new container should have.

Tips for the perfect substrate

Since the epiphytic orchids sit on trees without substrate in their homeland to collect moisture and nutrients with their aerial roots, they make special demands on the soil as a houseplant. If the flowering splendor has so far fallen short of expectations, we recommend switching to an optimized substrate as part of the repotting campaign. The perfect orchid soil consists of these main components:

  • Pieces of pine or pine bark in fine, medium or coarse grain
  • Organic Constituents: Leaves, sphagnum, peat dust, coconut fiber, nut shells
  • Inorganic components: lava granules, zeolite, seramis, perlite, (37.51€) styrofoam balls

The art of the orchid gardener now consists in conjuring up a recipe from the main components that makes his capricious tropical beauties happy. The special requirements of the respective orchid species are also important. An epiphytic Phalaenopsis favors a different substrate than a terrestrial lady's slipper orchid.

Prepare and pot properly - how to do it in an exemplary manner

In order to put as little pressure as possible on the strong aerial roots, the preparations begin the day before planting. Submerge the pot with the root plexus in a bucket of soft water until no more air bubbles rise. As a result, the root strands are much more flexible, so that you can pot the orchid the next day like this:

  • Spread out the sheet or cloth on the work surface to catch dirt
  • Knead the culture pot with your hands until the roots detach from the container walls
  • Grasp the orchid between the leaves and the root ball with your fingers and pull it out of the pot
  • Shake off the old orchid soil and carefully rinse off the last remains

Now that the root system is substrate-free in front of you, take the opportunity to clean it up. Cut off all rotten, soft and dried up roots. Dust the cuts with cinnamon or charcoal ash. Plump, creamy-white root strands are spared from pruning.

Planting with the right twist - This planting technique has proven itself

The recommended preparations make planting orchids easier and reduce stress for the gardener and plant alike. Do not leave a processed orchid without substrate for long, but pot it up promptly like this:

  • Create a 2-3 cm high water-bearing layer above the water outlet using expanded clay, perlite or lava granules
  • Fill in a first layer of the coarse orchid substrate
  • Grasp the orchid between the leaves and roots and plant it in the pot with a twisting motion
  • Fill in the fresh pieces of substrate in portions, breaking open the pot in between

You have carried out the repotting of your orchid perfectly when the root neck is in the middle at the height of the pot rim, the roots are undamaged and all the gaps are filled with substrate.

Feel-good care after repotting - this is how the orchid regenerates quickly

Immediately after planting, immerse the pot with the root ball in soft, room-warm water. Please pour out the cachepot afterwards so that no waterlogging forms. A gentle spray of lime-free water puts the noble plant in a good mood. Since there is a supply of nutrients in the fresh orchid soil, the application of fertilizer only starts again after 6 weeks. By then, the stressed orchid will have regenerated itself in the semi-shady, warm window seat.

tips

If an orchid suffers from waterlogging, repot the plant immediately; even if the ideal time window for this measure is not open at the moment. The noble flower copes better with the stress in the middle of the growth phase than continuing to expose it to the danger of rotting roots. The earlier you plant the plagued orchid in dry substrate, the better the chances of survival.

Category:

Indoor plants