subject: How To Repot An Orchid The Correct Way [print this page] Once you've had your orchid for a while, you'll discover it's made copies of itself. Once this occurs, you'll need to separate the plants and repot them. Also, the potting medium needs to be replaced about every 2 years, so repotting your orchid is something you need to learn to do. And do correctly.Repotting some houseplants is fairly easy. You just dump the plant out of the pot, put fresh soil in and dump the plant back in. Common houseplants are hardy, don't mind being disturbed and very forgiving. Orchids are not. So in order to repot them, there are specific things you must do and some things you must not.What not to do:1. Never repot an orchid when its blooming. Orchids don't like to be disturbed while in the bloom phase so be patient. Even if you just bought the orchid and are desperate to get it out of the teeny pot it came with and into a nice, roomy pot, leave it alone.2. Never use common peatmoss potting soil. Orchids must have special potting medium. The fastest way to kill your plant is to put it into potting soil that retains moisture. Instead of thriving, your orchid will wind up with root rot and die.What to do:1. Start by unpotting the orchid from its current home. If it hasn't outgrown the pot, you should be able to simply turn the pot over and give several sharp raps on the sides and bottom to loosen the plant. However if it has out grown its pot, you may find that it's so densely packed in now, that it refuses to come out. If that happens, run a clean kitchen knife around the inside edge of the pot and loosen things up. If a few roots get sliced, don't worry about it, the orchid will recover.2. With the orchid out of the pot, separate the roots and remove all the old potting medium. Examine the roots for rot and cut away any that aren't firm white or firm green. Soggy and mushy roots are rotted. Examine the pseudobulbs and cut away any that are dead.3. If necessary, separate the plant. If your orchid has grown new plants, it's time to divide them. Do this by carefully cutting the rhizome. Make sure that the separated plants each have one lead and at least three pseudobulbs.4. Sterilize an old pot by soaking it in a 10% solution of chlorine bleach for 30 minutes, then rinsing it well. Or start with a new clay pot. Soak the clay pot in water for a few minutes before putting the orchid in it.5. Place a layer of pottery shards, landscaping pebbles (not small) or other material in the bottom of the pot to ensure that there will be good drainage. Pour boiling water into the potting medium and let it set for several minutes, then drain it well. This will ensure that your orchid has plenty moisture but not so much that it'll get root rot6. Situate the orchid on the side of the pot. Place it on one side so that it can expand out toward the other, and pack the moist potting soil around its roots.7. Put it in a shady location and mist it twice daily until its new root system has gotten established, then move it back to its normal location.If you carefully follow these steps, your orchid will live a long time, growing and blooming, and brightening your home.
