Orchids have long won the hearts of most peoplegardeners. They are very beautiful, so they serve as an excellent living decor for any room. In addition, varieties bred specifically for growing at home are quite unpretentious in care, but are endowed with the function of continuous flowering. And it is quite easy to buy such an exotic and at the same time patient plant lately, because the price for its especially popular species - phalaenopsis - is quite acceptable. But sooner or later, any flower needs to be replanted, and this is what most of the difficulties are associated with for inexperienced owners. In nature, all epiphytes (namely, orchids) have unlimited space for development: they grow and grow. Indeed, there is enough space for roots, the soil is renewed naturally, so why change anything? But those of their relatives that are bred specifically for life and flowering at home are a kind of captives: they are “imprisoned” in special pots. Therefore, sooner or later, the owners still face the task of replanting an orchid that has outgrown its previous "home". And in any case, it is better to change the soil periodically. It is precisely with the maturing of the need to carry out such a procedure that most inexperienced gardeners immediately have many questions. "When should the substrate be updated? Is it possible to transfer an epiphyte to a new pot during the flowering period or is it better to do this after the buds fall? What signs indicate that it is time to replant the orchid? " - these and other nuances require detailed consideration. Indeed, you need to approach the solution of the problem of relocating your exotic blooming beauty to a pot with a new substrate not just "wisely". Unlike other indoor plants, orchids should be replanted taking into account certain features. According to experts, there are a number of restrictions when it is undesirable to subject the plant to such stress, for example, during the active development of the root system or at the time of flowering. But since even in these cases there is sometimes a need to take emergency measures, you should definitely know some nuances. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the general rules and stages of the procedure for transferring your extraordinary blooming beauty to a new and more spacious pot. So, how to transplant an orchid bred for home use?
General Transplant Rules
As you know, any substrate has its own time.useful existence. After three to five years, the bark mixture passes moisture worse and worse, loses the ability to "breathe", is compressed and accumulates salts coming from irrigation water. The moss substrate requires annual replacement, and every couple of years the soil compositions, including expanded clay, should be updated. But it is impossible to transfer orchids from one pot to another often. The optimal time interval between these processes is two to three years. But young plants of the most common species of phalaenopsis during their main growth period are allowed to be moved to a new substrate every six to eight months. A signal for the next resettlement can be not only strong growth of the flower, but also complete decomposition of the substrate. In addition, due to shortcomings in care, improper watering or the occurrence of diseases, the process of decay can begin in the roots of an exotic plant. Then it is necessary to transfer the orchid to a new substrate as quickly as possible in order to urgently save it from death. Epiphytes can be replanted all year round, but only before the start of root activity and before the time of active flowering. For most orchids, this time is in spring or early summer. Therefore, they should be transferred to a new pot either in early March or in September. The start of active root growth can be determined by the appearance of a new sprout (sympodial epiphytes) or the first leaf (monopodial epiphytes). It is also not recommended to replant the plant during the beginning of flowering. This is due to the fact that adaptation to the conditions of a new substrate and the simultaneous formation of buds take a lot of energy from the epiphyte, which can lead to its death. If you are still pondering the question of how to replant an orchid, and the above-mentioned time of development of its lower part or flowering has already come, then you need to wait for sufficient growth of young roots (up to five to seven centimeters) or the fall of petals. Or it is better to postpone the process altogether and do it after the active growth of the root system has finished, or choose a time when there is a break in the flowering process, if there is no urgent need for relocation. In phalaenopsis, which, with proper care at home, has the ability to decorate your windowsill with bright blossoming buds almost all year round, it is recommended to trim the flower stalk after the petals have fallen, leaving two or three buds so that the plant can devote all its energy to rooting in a new substrate. When transferring an exotic beauty to a new pot, remember its fragility and carry out all manipulations extremely carefully and gently.
Preparation for transplantation
Before replanting an orchid, you need todo some preliminary preparation. First, choose a suitable flowerpot, the diameter of which should be two centimeters larger than the old one. It is better to take a transparent pot, since the orchid roots need unimpeded ultraviolet light for the process of photosynthesis. Opt for a plastic or glass container, pay attention to the obligatory presence of special drainage holes in it. In addition, prepare a long sharp knife or garden shears, a wooden stick and a special substrate. For a phalaenopsis orchid, you can take tree bark (pine is better), and if you use a ready-made soil mixture for epiphytes, then select from it only the necessary pieces of bark and sphagnum. The substrate in the old pot should be well moistened by watering with settled warm water half an hour before removing the flower. This will help to easily separate the roots from the walls of the pot and save time on replanting. If the old pot is clay, you will most likely have to use a stick to carefully tear off the sucked shoots. If it is also porous on the inside, they will probably have to sacrifice the condition of the flower: it is almost impossible to carefully separate the roots from such walls. Prepare a new container in which you plan to replant the orchid. First of all, you need to put drainage in the form of expanded clay, pebbles or polystyrene balls on the bottom. Ordinary river sand will also do. If you use materials you got from the street, they must be disinfected by boiling them in water. Do not neglect this safety measure, because any problems are easier to prevent than to guess later why the plant suddenly died. If you do not have any of the moisture-removing materials described above at hand during replanting (this is not very good, but acceptable), then the pot should be filled a quarter of the way with fresh substrate. Although drainage elements for epiphytic plants are often a vital necessity: firstly, they extend the service life of a special soil mixture, and secondly, they perfectly drain moisture, preventing the root system from rotting. Therefore, it is better to thoroughly prepare in advance and stock up on all the necessary materials, tools and containers.
Extracting a flower from an old pot
We start replanting any orchids fromof this procedure. The pot should be pressed down on all sides (if it is hard, then “knock it out”). If during the life of the epiphyte in it the roots have grown to the walls of the pot, then you need to carefully run a wooden stick along its inner side, separating the earthen lump. It must be said that sometimes such measures do not help, so you have to break a glass or ceramic pot, and it is better to simply cut a plastic one. During the next stage, you should remove the old substrate from the roots, and then carefully straighten them out and carefully clean off the remaining soil with your fingers. If the roots are very intertwined, then after removing them from the old pot, it is better to rinse them with lukewarm water from the shower. This simple procedure will prevent their damage and breakage, allowing you to easily clean them from lumps of the old substrate. Some gardeners recommend, on the contrary, leaving a little of the old soil mixture on the root system of epiphytic plants when transplanting into updated soil. It is especially useful to do this for orchids in the period of active flowering. This method will allow your exotic to adapt to a new pot faster, spending less effort on it. But you should save a little of the old substrate only if the plant roots are healthy, and the plant itself has no signs of mold. Otherwise, you should not do this, since there is no need to transfer old problems to a new place. From the already cleaned root system, you need to cut off all dead parts with a disinfected tool: rotten, hollow or soft. By the way, you can leave dry shoots in phalaenopsis. After this, put the orchid in a container with water for about ten minutes. During this time, possible pests that have settled on the roots will die. And at the end of the removal stage, you need to carefully treat all root cuts with carbon powder, sulfur or cinnamon. Such disinfection measures will help protect the plant from rotting and other damage.
Transplant into a new pot
So your beautiful orchid has finally waited for thathours, when it is time to transplant it into a new container and complete this entire long procedure of resettlement with relief. You need to take a pre-prepared pot and carefully, without pressing the roots to the bottom, place the plant in it. After that, holding the flower almost in the air, you should gradually fill the container with substrate (bark is used to transplant Phalaenopsis orchids). You need to pour the soil mixture evenly, compacting it not by pressing on the soil, but by tapping on the walls of the pot. The substrate between the roots can be carefully pressed with a wooden stick. Just do this carefully so as not to damage the plant. If the long roots do not fit into the pot, it is better to leave them on the surface: let them hang from the edges and absorb moisture from the air. Do not forget to strengthen the stem of the plant with a special stick and clamp. Remember that transplantation will be a real stress for the orchid, especially if it falls during the flowering period. Therefore, you need to give the epiphyte time to rest and get used to the new pot. Do not water the flower for the first five days, but spray it with warm water daily. It is best to place the exotic beauty in a slightly shaded place with high humidity for a couple of weeks. And do not rush to fertilize it: it is better to do the first feeding under the root only after a month. Although it is not forbidden to carry out the procedure of feeding the upper part of the orchid. The fact that the orchid transplant was carried out taking into account all the basic requirements and your exotic beauty was not damaged can be judged by the time of the next flowering. If you strictly adhered to the algorithm described above, then new buds should please you with their appearance already in the current year. But do not rush to panic if this does not happen. Take a close look at the orchid: if the plant has an outwardly healthy appearance, the roots and leaves are not damaged, dry and rotten parts are absent, be patient and wait a little longer. Probably, the flowering process is delayed due to the fact that the epiphyte has not yet accumulated enough strength for this. As you can see, the question of how to properly transplant a Phalaenopsis orchid and other less common relatives is solved quite simply even for novice gardeners. Therefore, if you are still hesitating and wondering whether you need to do this, although all the signs indicate an urgent need, be bolder. It is enough to just meet the deadlines when the plant is most ready to move to a new substrate and adapt to it, follow the recommendations described above and handle the exotic epiphyte carefully. And then your orchid will always look like a charming beauty, delighting the owner with a continuous flowering process, a healthy appearance and longevity. We advise you to read:
