I’ve had my beautiful orchid my kids gave me for about 6yrs now, it has bloomed 4-5 times. It’s always been indoors. It went dormant for 2 years and just finished blooming for its 2nd time this year. What do I do now, it currently looks like this-(I watered it today and brought it outside to enjoy the humidity and indirect light here today. Any help greatly appreciated!
What a pretty plant! This would be a great time to repot, especially if you haven’t done so already. Generally, you’ll need to repot every 2-3 years or when the media is broken down. When you get ready to repot, I would first give it a good soak as things are easier when hydrated. Take the orchid out of the pot and gently remove the media from the roots. Try get it all, but it’s fine if you have to leave some so you don’t damage the roots. And don’t worry if you damage some. It isn’t great but it happens. Just try to minimize as much as possible. Examine the roots for health and pests. Trim off any dead or dying roots. Dead roots are papery or mushy, black or brown. Healthy roots are firm and green when wet, silvery when dry. Deeper into the media you may encounter pale yellow roots. It just means they haven’t been exposed to light. They are fine as long as they are firm. I would leave any wrinkled roots as long as they are firm. Use an orchid pot with additional ventilation. They are typically clear so you can monitor root development, and have ventilation holes on the sides of the pot. If you don’t have one, you can add holes to a growers pot or any other plastic pot you have on hand. Size the pot so that the roots just fit in the pot. They like a tight fit. To minimize transplant shock, use a similar mix to what it currently is in, especially since you have had this plant for 5 years. If you want to tweak it, can repot using a mix of 50% sphagnum 50% bark. That will allow moisture to hang around long enough for the roots to take in what they want without cutting off air circulation. My preference is straight bark. The key is a loose airy mix that will allow the roots to dry between waterings. Regardless of what mix you use, gently work it around the roots. I use an old chopstick for the job. The goal is to firmly seat the plant in the pot without packing the media. You want an airy mix that allows the roots to grab the water they want and then dry out. I also like to give it a quick drink after I’m done repotting, primarily to was away bark dust. Good luck!
2 Likes Thank you soooo much!! This was super helpful!
0 LikesYou can cut off that flower spike since it's completely dried up. Your orchid looks super happy, so you can keep doing what you're doing for regular care
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I’d also trim off the brown stem. It won’t bloom again since it’s not green anymore.
1 Like Sorry, repeat answer. Didn’t read all comments first! Ha,ha!
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Orchids like tight roots but it definitely looks like your’s needs to be repotted remember to find a pot that has lots of holes in it or you could put it in a orchid basket you could also mount it
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