Why You Need to Repot Your Orchid
It would be nice if you never had to repot your orchid, but you do. To understand why, consider how these orchids grow high in the trees at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. This is how many orchids live in the wild. Their roots may grow in moss or rainforest debris, but mostly they’re exposed to the open air. In contrast, when old potting material breaks down in a container, air cannot circulate around orchid roots.
Without good air flow, roots cannot breathe, and the plant quickly dies. That’s why orchids need repotting, usually once every 2 – 3 years. Spring is the ideal time, since new roots will be happiest growing into new bark or moss. So don’t dread those repotting chores. Think of them as giving a breath of fresh air to your orchids. Check these helpful repotting tips, including how to know if your orchid needs repotting.
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April 6th, 2012 at 8:40 am
Good reminder that you need to do a little more than think about watering them occasionally. 🙂
May 1st, 2012 at 10:09 am
I know why you need to repot your orchid – because if you don’t, it will die. I let my dendrobiums wait a long time for repotting. They just up and died on me in a week. I’d owned them for three years and they did fine in the same pots. Their new growth began such as it has always, and then stopped. Then they turned brown, then the whole plant. That was way back before I knew what I was doing with orchids. Now I know better so I’ve learned my lesson!
May 1st, 2012 at 12:01 pm
good one, I like the title. When you grow them mounted, you see how much they like the air. Back to my repotting now…