Before you go about re-potting your orchids you need to ensure that you have researched and know how to do it carefully and correctly.
You have to be cautious when handling orchids and switching pots because these beautiful flowers are very delicate.
You do not want to destroy the flowers so it is vital you know exactly what you are doing.
Orchid re-potting can get quite messy so your first step is to make sure your work space is covered adequately.
Next you want to gather your tools together before you being the process.
Once you have accomplished these two things you are ready to start.
Now it's time to move on to the actual job of orchid re-potting.
To start you want to turn your plant upside down.
It should still be in its original pot.
Make sure you hold it over the covered area or you will make quite a mess.
While the orchids are upside down you want to loosen the plant.
This is when you will squeeze the pot slightly.
You will most likely notice that the roots are still stuck in the original pot.
You can loosen them with a kitchen knife.
Separating the roots right away is important to the health of your orchids.
You do not have to remove all of the old soil.
Orchid re-potting often leads to old soil remaining on the roots.
Once you have the orchids out of the old pot you need to make sure the roots are trimmed.
You can use any type of scissors or shears to trim your plant's roots.
In orchid re-potting it is imperative that you clean and sterilize your tools before using them on your roots.
Tools that haven't been sterilized can pass diseases to your orchids and you do not want that.
Rubbing alcohol is a great way to sterilize.
When orchid re-potting you want to make sure you remove any roots that are dead or damaged.
It's easy to tell when the roots of orchids are damaged by their light brown color or their softness to the touch.
Healthy roots do not look or feel that way.
A healthy root is white with a tip that has a light green shade.
It will also be firm to the touch.
If there are bulbs on your orchids without any leaves you want to remove those as well.
This will help with making sure the plant is ready for re-potting.
The hardest part of orchid re-potting is choosing the perfect pot.
You want something with enough room for your orchids to be able to expand and grow, but you don't want too much space in your pot.
The roots need to be able to spread out over time.
So you want to make sure the pot has room for expansion of the roots.
Orchid re-potting into a pot that is not large enough for the roots to grow can kill the plant.
If the roots have no room to grow they will eventually die.
Reusing an old pot is fine, but be sure it is cleaned thoroughly with bleach.
You do not want old diseases to infect your orchids.