subject: How To Repot An Orchid [print this page] There's no big mystery about repotting an orchid but it IS a little bit different than repotting, say, your favorite philodendron. First of all, there's no soil required, although potting medium is necessary. But let's get to it:
First choose a pot. It will be a deep pot or a shallow pot, depending on the orchid you're repotting and the natural conditions where you live. It may be a clear plastic pot or a heavier ceramic or clay pot. Or maybe your orchid will be living on a piece of bark, block of word or in a basket. We've talked about the pros and cons of these pots elsewhere.
The day before you repot, pour your potting medium into a bucket that's twice the volume of the potting medium and cover it with hot water. Let it sit overnight. The next day you can pour the wet potting medium through a sieve and rinse it with cold water.
Put some old newspaper down on your area to save yourself a big mess later on. Get out your tools.
You're going to need cutting tools (a pair of scissors or a sharp knife), tweezers, a screwdriver is handy, latex gloves, some styrofoam (not peanuts made of corn starch) peanuts that are white (no other colors work), a source of flame or some rubbing alcohol, a stake, some cinnamon and, of course, a pot, that potting medium and an orchid.
First sterilize all of your tools. Either rub them down with alcohol or run them through a flame. Repeat this process before you repot each plant. There's no sense in transferring pests or disease from one plant to another by neglecting this step. Wear latex gloves and change them between plants.
Now ease the plant out of the old pot. If you have to, break the pot. Don't break the roots. Use your screwdriver or knife to carefully pry the roots off the pot if necessary. The idea is to disturb the orchid as little as possible during this process.
Using your fingers and the tweezers, remove as much potting medium as you can from the roots. You never know what's hiding in that old potting medium and you'll get a chance to take a good look at the roots.
Remove any bad roots (brown or mushy) with the sterile knife. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on the cut end. Cinnamon naturally kills bacteria and fungus.
Put some of those Styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the pot to maintain some good aeration in the pot. Put the plant in the pot and sprinkle in the potting medium. Make sure you work it between the roots but don't pack it in.
Stake the orchid. There's not enough potting medium for most orchids to stand up on their own at first (unlike the aforementioned philodendron). It's a good idea to mark it as to whether it's bloomed or not. Water it lightly. Give it a little extra light for a while.
Move the orchid back to its original location and you are done!
