---
title: "What to do about these roots? My lovely orchid is thriving for the…"
description: "What to do about these roots? My lovely orchid is thriving for the first time in a few years. It’s grown three new leaves with another one on the way, and…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/JmTUi1iSQr6-tX35luAMXQ/X00TRBcqS4WGWUGH-augcg"
community: "The Orchid Oasis"
author: "Thomas"
published: "2024-08-03T14:57:53.959336Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gSUzs6eG17IngsrFUjKDJX8Ya7qPD9IO7702iZtIrfA/qTgjrQm4SXGheBHZj_0Jlw.webp?size=large"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [The Orchid Oasis](https://getplanta.com/community/JmTUi1iSQr6-tX35luAMXQ.md)

# What to do about these roots? My lovely orchid is thriving for the…

_Posted by Thomas on 2024-08-03_

What to do about these roots? My lovely orchid is thriving for the first time in a few years. It’s grown three new leaves with another one on the way, and flowered (yay!). But the roots are growing out of the pot now. I’m worried if/when I have to repot, I’ll have to cut off these roots (or else they’ll break off). I use a mix of sphagnum moss and bark. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!!

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gSUzs6eG17IngsrFUjKDJX8Ya7qPD9IO7702iZtIrfA/qTgjrQm4SXGheBHZj_0Jlw.webp?size=large)

## 4 comments

### eatyacarbs commented on 2024-08-03

that’s normal! leave them to it 😊💚

#### Thomas replied on 2024-08-03

🤔 but what if I have to repot it?

### Matilda commented on 2024-08-03

The roots are pretty bendy and stronger than you think- when you repot you should be able to manoeuvre them out of the holes

### Jen commented on 2024-08-03

The absolute best thing you can do is to soak the entire pot- medium, roots, and all. The extra soak time (15-20 mins) will make the roots a little more flexible. If you are gentle and take your time, you should be able to get them out with minimal breakage.

PS, the pot is beautiful, but one of the reasons people like to use the clear plastic pot inside the decorative pots is that when you go to repot, a few little squeezes is usually enough to loosen the roots that have attached to the pot. Glazed ceramic obviously can’t be squeezed like that, but roots stick a little less than the porous terra cotta type pots. If you find a lot of your roots are firmly attached in there, you might want to switch over to the plastic option when repotting.

---

_Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_