Repotting while in flower...

[Vertigo]

Hey, if I repot my Dendrobium (forget the name again, but the flowers red on the outside with white in the middle

) while it's flowers are in the middle of opening, will they abort?

 

[PlantAKiss]

I don't know if they will "abort" or not, but its not recommended to repot while flowering. I wouldn't want to disturb the plants/roots at this time. Is there any pressing reason you need to do this? Your plant will finish flowering in several weeks so if there isn't some emergency reason, I'd wait 'til the end of the blooming period and do it then.

Suzanne

 

[Vertigo]

Well....it's a Dendrobium that fell off a shelf at lowes, apparently the pot broke and the orchid split in two (nicely dividing itself btw), so it's sitting in a terra cotta pot without any sort of medium (well, I covered the top with a little lfs to keep in some sort of humidity).

So, basically I think it needs to be really "potted" in the first place to even be able to sustain blooms. Should I just toss some orchid mix over the top of it and repot into two pots after the flowers are done?

 

[PlantAKiss]

Well if that is the case, then I would say the plant has already been through what basically amounts to the shock of being divided. The roots have been disturbed and the plant split in two so it would probably be in its best interest to go on and put them in a pot (or two) and add some orchid media around the roots. Orchid bark is good...you can add some LFS and/or a little charcoal if you like. Anything that is well draining.

Hopefully it won't affect your flowers. Maybe the blooms won't last as long but you never know. They can be quite hardy.

A month or so ago, I was buying a den at the market next door, and the check-out clerk BROKE OFF the flower spike that was just beginning to bloom!

I was SICK! It was the only one they had of that color so they gave it to me. I asked for the spike, took it back to work and stuck it in a vase of water. All the flowers have opened up and it has been sitting on my desk now looking fresh and beautiful for almost a month! Amazing for an "amputee". Still...I wish she hadn't broken it.

Suzanne

 

[Vertigo]

Wow, I hate it when that happens. Sometimes the people have no clue, they just grab it and throw it in a bag. I try to not let them handle anything I really want anymore.

I have an orchid mix in a bag that I got. It's two types of bark and charcoal. I might add some lfs to top it off, figure i'll definately add some into the mix for the phal's that I have to repot in a little too.

Thanks a bunch.