My mom's phalaenopsis needed a repot, so I thought that I would share the repotting process. I also demonstrate how to tell live and healthy roots from dead ones, and how to make your own self-watering pot.
I just bought a bunch of leca for my orchids on a whim with no idea how to actually use it, or even how to properly repot them. This video is so helpful! Maybe I will actually be able to get some to rebloom, but I’m still happy with the fact that I’ve kept my orchids alive for over a year!
Alive is victory! Good luck with the repot, I hope that it goes well for you and that your orchids will bloom soon. Do keep in mind that depending on their current media the switch to self watering LECA can be a rough one. Keep an eye on them as they adjust.
You did a wonderful job. Some have everything money can buy and still cannot produce. Sometimes, less is more. Having less requires one think his way out of a paper bag! I love your passion and determination. You & your chin are quite motivating. Thanks 🙏
Fab repotting video, especially whilst using one hand :) I am quite interested in the LECA, and I noticed you said you used cloth cut up as strips for the water, genius, I may buy some LECA for my Phals, but I would also need to find a pot to sit the outer pot in! tfs :)
Great video. I had just replanted an orchid before I watched your video , but will repot again and next time I will clean out the old medium first. Btw, the construction noise was not an issue. 👍🏼
Thanks Shannon, happy to be able to help. Do be careful of disturbing your orchid's roots too much with the consecutive repots - be very gentle on the roots.
Nice video! I have a mini phal looked exactly like that with lots of good roots... but didn’t like being potted so I ended up in a basket... I just uploaded the phal today if you are interested. Happy growing!
Hi, I really liked this new video, and I realized that you need a camera support urgently, so that you can work with both hands, and the work will be easier for you 😉 Keep going and good luck 👍🏻
Hi James, sorry for the very late reply! Perhaps I can still help. There is a space between the bottom of the inside pot and the bottom of the outer pot - this space I fill completely with water and call the water reservoir. The water level stays below the level of the inside pot, so the medium has no or limited direct contact with the water reservoir (only via the wicks). Theoretically overwatering is impossible this way, since the LECA holds more than enough air spaces between them and such the roots won't drown.
Hi - can you explain about the outer pot and how much water you add. Can’t tell if you have the inner pot sitting directly on the bottom of the outer pot and if you’re filling the inner pot with some water like semi hydroponics. Or how this works. Thanks
Sure Sue! It inner pot is not sitting on the bottom, but is instead hanging on the lip of the outer pot, which leaves a few cm of space between the bottom of the inner and the outer pot. This space is used as a reservoir for water - similar as is semi hydroponics, as you remarked, except the water does not come in direct contact with the LECA. Instead it is wicked up to the LECA in the pot via the wicks. Does that answer your question?
Hey - Yes, that’s what I thought but wasn’t sure, thanks for confirming. I’ve seen other videos on it but it’s really hard to find pots that will work for the outer pots here in the US. Thanks for reply! Just watched your summer blooming phal video and now want a few! But I really don’t have any more room....
@@suepetras607 summer bloomers are just the best... The fragrance 😍 there is always some space? 🤪 As for the outer pots - I find it difficult to find them too. Once I find one, I go back to get more until they run out 😆 sometimes I take an empty pot with me and try it out with pots on stores 😅
Question about the leca, with that little cloth is enough to water the whole plant? the water flows well through the wicks and throughout the leca to the top of the plant?
Good question! The answer is that it is highly depends on your brand of LECA. Some are more wicking than others. If you have a very tall pot it can also make it more difficult for the moisture to reach the top. If you find that this is the case, you can run wicks higher up the pot - even up to the top layer if you want.
I add rain mix fertiliser to the water, and they're all doing great! If your orchids are in a more water retentive media like sphagnum moss at the moment, it might be easier on the roots to mix LECA with something like Synthic
Does anyone know if she placed water is the reservoir immediately after repotting? Also do you guys know if she washed the leca? Do fresh leca balls need to be washed before use?
Yep i put water in immediately. And I do indeed wash and soak the LECA beforehand (if it's new) too get rid of most of the dust. If the LECA is not new then I just boil to sterilise, since I'll have washed it before.
I start by giving them no or very little nutrients, just because root tips can be very sensitive to salt accumulation on the top of LECA and I don't want to risk harming those vital new roots. When the root tips have begun to dive into the LECA I start fertilising as normal.
Yes definitely, I often do. It varies a lot per plant how many roots are lost. Sometimes I lose none, and sometimes I lose all 😬 as such I would recommend switching in the growing season if you can, so that new roots can soon be expected to help replace the ones lost or not operating optimally
Yes, it's doing well! It had a rough patch when I forgot to water it for a long time (more than a month maybe? Oops...) but it has fully recovered and is currently in bloom.
