How to Repot Your Orchid
Few things in nature can match the beauty of orchid flowers in bloom, but orchid plants require time and care to remain healthy and happy enough to flower. Repot your orchids every one or two years to improve the health of the orchid plants and increase the likelihood that the orchids will flower. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Choose a new pot for the orchid that is one size larger than its existing pot. Pour enough orchid potting medium to fill the new pot into a bowl and mix it with warm water. You want the mix to be damp but not soggy or waterlogged.
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Spread some newspaper on a flat surface and loosen the orchid from its existing pot, being careful not to damage the roots. Place the plant on the newspaper and gently loosen the old potting medium from the roots. Carefully trim any dried out roots from the bottom of the orchid plant with a clean utensil. You can tell the healthy roots from the dried out roots, as the healthy roots are generally plump and white. Any dried out roots are brownish and dry.
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Hold the orchid upright in the desired spot in the new orchid pot with one hand. Use the other hand to gradually add the new damp orchid potting medium around the base of the plant. Continue this process until you have the damp medium evenly distributed around the plant and the level reaches the base of the orchid plant.
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Water the newly repotted orchid plant in the sink. Use lukewarm water so that you do not shock the plant. Let the excess water drain through the drainage holes into the sink. Look for new growth in the next few weeks. Orchid plants often throw new growth following repotting. This is a sign of expansion and health.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't repot an orchid when it is in bloom.
Use an orchid fertilizer periodically when you water to increase the chances of more orchid flowers.
Growing orchids can become a highly addictive hobby:-)
References
Resources
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