Repotting Two Dendrobium Orchids | Difficult Orchid Repotting | Orchid Cane Removal & Gnarly Roots!

[@REAGAN_1980]

I love those potting trays

[@anitabrown2022]

Love your new intro! 😍from one of your fellow Southeast Texas viewers😉🌺 nice video, Ty for sharing!

[@TheOrchidHut]

Thank you so much! I did that myself and I don’t even want to mention how many hours went in to it. I’m working on a shorter version of it for shorter videos…what am I thinking? I have orchids to water!

[@anitabrown2022]

@@TheOrchidHut 😉👍lol watering comes first! Have a lovely evening!

[@TheOrchidHut]

You, too! 🤗

[@cherylpenn4509]

Love your videos. You dont talk too fast, so it settles in my brain. LOL

[@TheOrchidHut]

😁

[@ivalainebethune2758]

Thank you for this repotting video. I have a Regal Vista and having trouble how is yours doing?

[@TheOrchidHut]

It’s doing just fine, indoors for the winter, of course. It’s sort of resting right now, not really growing. Thanks so much for watching!

[@ilaklion7045]

Curious, if you were going to cut the cane with the soft spot off, why not remove the seedling canes too and instead of ripping the moss that was used to help the seed line, cut all of it out? I’m still learning and trying to understand when to cut roots out and when not to. thanks.

[@TheOrchidHut]

Your questions are very good. I’ll try to do my best to answer. For all sympodial orchids, the older canes (or bulbs) still hold nutrient and water content for the orchid, even when they are leafless. We don’t want to cut them away prematurely. The moss was no longer useful for this plant. At one time the seedling roots used the moss, but those roots have been dead for a long time. The moss plug becomes problematic as the orchid grows. It stays wet far too long at the base of the plant, can harbor mold/algae, and can interfere with gauging when it is time to water the plant. In this repot, I did not intentionally cut away any live roots. In fact, I left many dead ones behind because they were so tangled with the few living roots that appeared to be starting new growth. Stick with your efforts and learning process…it takes time to figure it all out.

[@FreedomRider1982]

Do you leave your orchids in the same spot or do you move them from time to time ? For example, to get more sun etc ...

[@TheOrchidHut]

That’s a great question and also difficult to answer! I have 4 different growing spaces, 2 indoors and 2 outdoors. Each has unique features, so I try to match the orchid’s growing needs to the location. In the winter, they all have to come in for about 4-5 months. So yes, I’m almost constantly moving orchids around for one reason or another!

[@anndriggers6660]

Hi there.😂 I was wondering if maybe I could get your opinion on how to proceed with rootless dendrobiums. I already completely chopped off all of the dead roots and I was thinking about putting the 5 plants in a tall square vase with sphagnum at the bottom and just keeping it moist until I see roots. What do you think??

[@TheOrchidHut]

It could work, or it might be a dismal failure. It will all depend on the energy the orchid has left to push out new roots and survive. If you do see roots, be very careful not to disturb the growing root tips. In order to accomplish this, you may want to pot them separately in the sphagnum. I have found it difficult when doing this myself to keep the sphagnum evenly damp from day to day. Good luck!

[@TheOrchidHut]

And, most, if not all Dendrobiums, push out new growth before new roots…

[@anndriggers6660]

@TheOrchidHut I'm going to put lava rocks in the very bottom and about an inch of water, then very fluffy sphagnum. The vase is as tall as the dendrobiums, so it should stay nice and humid for a couple of days, at least. I hope! All of the roots rotted due to spoiled medium. Thanks for your input!

[@amauris3167]

You should always wet the roots first, before starting to cut away. That way you’re able to tell the difference between roots that are dead and roots that are are alive, because some roots are dark and hard due to oxidation, but are well enough healthy and green inside…

[@TheOrchidHut]

Thanks for watching!