Big Phalaenopsis Repot

If I had to repo that, I’d put it in a pot about the same diameter as the leaf span, and used LECA (clay aggregate) as the medium.

 

In the wild, those big, broad leaves can function well as “sails” in a windstorm, potentially ripping the upper part of the plant right off that relatively narrow base. Aerial roots, originating from somewhat higher in the plant, can act as “guy wires” to stabilize it.

As an experiment, I put some phals into relatively shallow trays that were larger in diameter that the plants’ leaf spans. All of the aerial roots grew down into the medium.

Back when I was developing the “semi-hydroponic” growing technique, I had ongoing discussions with Rod Venger (of the former Venger’s Orchids in Colorado Springs), who was developing “water culture”. He brought in a friend who a PhD candidate (at Texas A&M, I think) who had been researching orchid roots.

He showed that the roots “tailored” themselves on a cellular level based upon the root environment, so they could function optimally in that environment, and that, once they had grown, they cannot change (backing up Marni’s good advice about not submerging the aerial roots when you repot).

When you repot a plant, changing the rhizosphere, you immediately render the existing roots as sub-optimal, and they will start to fail. That is why the best time to repot a plant is when new roots are emerging - they will be tailored to the new environment and support the plant as the old ones die and decompose.

Interestingly, aerial roots appear to be the most “adaptable”, in that new growth at the tips will adapt to the new environment more readily than will other roots.

 

Perfect, beautiful leaves! Good job!