Is such condensation in orchid pot normal??

[tokidoki]

I repotted my phalaenopsis last weekend as it was starting to split it's previous plastic pot. It was risky given there were some 10 flowers and another 4 buds on their way, but a week on the plant is looking reasonably happy with flowers intact!

My problem is that there is a lot of condensation visible on the inside of the clear pot. It's been a week now, and the condensation seems to be of a similar level each day. It's current summer here, early-to-mid 20s degrees Celsius, and the plant gets a nice dose of morning sunshine from the East.

Should I be worried about the moisture level in the pot? There are loads of slits and holes on the bottom. I don't want the roots to rot! But how long should I hold out for?

[hendi_alex]

That should be not problem. Clearly cool air in contact with the plastic is causing condensation from the moist air inside the pot. Just be sure to let the plant dry a bit between waterings.

[imafan26]

That is a deep pot for an orchid. Most orchids like to be under potted. Orchids die slowly so they take awhile to show signs of stress.

What did you use for media?
Did you soak the media first? I usually use hot water over sphagnum moss and soak bark, or hapuu in 10% bleach overnight and rinse and drain it well first. Keep only the bark that floats. Cinders I usually rinse off the dirt. Phals should be using medium bark. I don't like to mix media and I water too much so my phals are happier in baskets with no media and I can water them more frequently. They also do well on rafts. This mimics their natural habitat where they hang usually upside down or sideways on a tree branch with their roots hanging in the air. People put orchids in pots for aesthetics. Orchids would rather have their roots hanging out.

Orchid pots should have a lot of drain holes. Put extra holes in with a soldering iron, or ice pick heated with a torch. Wear a mask burning plastic is toxic. Most orchid pots are shallow and orchids like to be crowded.

To repot an orchid
Make sure the plant is well watered before transplanting. Roots won't be as stiff and the plant won't get another drink for at least a week.
Remove the plant and rinse off all of the existing media
With a sterile knife or pruner ( heat blade with a torch for a few seconds) cut off all the dead and soft roots. cut any broken roots.
Soak plant in fungicide or 10% bleach.
Use a new pot that just barely accommodates the roots with maybe an inch to spare. Keep the pot as shallow as possible. Long roots can be cut down to 4 inches.
Put extra holes in a plastic pot.
For a phalaenopsis with a good root system you can position the plant in the middle. If it is tall you may need to stake and wire the plant to the pot to keep it stable.
If you are using bark, Gently fill and tap the pot on the table to settle the bark around the roots. Keep filling the pot leaving about a 1/2 at the top. The crown of the plant should not be covered, but the plant should not be wobbly which is why staking and wiring can help.

Clear pots are o.k. for Phals since they photosynthesize through their roots.

If the bark is well drained and the pot is ventilated it should not have a lot of condensation.

Do not water again for at least a week to give the cut roots a chance to heal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc3jNJSp7QE

[tokidoki]

I used orchid compost from a local gardening centre. It's a bark mix.

Indeed the pot does seem quite big, the trouble is I was worried about snapping the roots and the plant was extremely root bound in its previous pot. I know orchids are supposed to be root bound, but it seemed quite bad (loads of air Roy's, leaves falling sideways..)

I slightly moistened the compost before repotting. In hindsight I wonder if that was sensible, given how much moisture now seems to be condensing in the pot!

Should I just uproot the orchid, get rid of half the moist compost and replace with dry compost? Reduce the amount of compost in the pot (so it'll be shallower)? I'm really starting to worry that I'll find the roots rotting...

[imafan26]

Orchid bark needs to be evenly moist or it leads to other problems.

Most people cut the roots of a phal if they are too long. When you repot it is hard not to break or kill some of the roots and cutting them will encourage the roots to sprout. You also need to cut any roots that were not firm, white, green. The root in the middle of the mass are usually the worst off and are usually the ones that need to be removed.

Orchid pots are usually shallow azalea or clay pots. Clay is heavy but it breathes so you do not have a condensation problem. Plastic pots need to have more holes put in the bottom and my orchid teacher told me to put them in the sides as well. Orchid roots need to breathe.

The orchid should just fit in the pot. Orchids like to be tight. Growers have been using peanuts in the orchid pots for a few years now. First because it reduces the shipping wt of the plant and it saves on expensive media. But also because the styrofoam gives the roots something to hold onto and they keep the center of the orchid plant nice and full of air. Irregular small cubes of styrofoam are used. Molded styrofoam that is used to pack appliances or electronics works great. Do not use the biodegradable peanuts, they will melt when they come in contact with water.

I would repot, cut the roots and cut the pot shorter and put a lot more holes in it. Make sure the media is moist but not soggy. Put some styrofoam pieces in the bottom of the pot , they should be placed randomly and not fitted or they will block the drainage. Orchids actually do better with less media and a tight fit.

[applestar]

I think my question will fit in here without being too OT.
DH gave me a couple of new phal Hyb. orchid plants a little while ago. They are beautiful and are making a lovely grouping with the existing two also in bloom (the big white ones and the little magenta splattered ones that have just started to bloom )

The trouble is, these new exuberantly blooming plants came in decorative tall pot covers with no holes and when I pulled the inner excuse-for-pots out to water them, I discovered that they are planted in these flimsy plastic "pots" that is maybe only 2/3 the depth of the decorative one -- tiny things -- with their roots absolutely jammed in pure sphagnum. There is only a pencil sized hole in the bottom.

The sphagnum seems to stay wet forever even though I let the tiny pot drain thoroughly after watering.

Is this going to be ok for now? The magenta throated white plant lost two biggest leaves already... and you can see another one is yellowing....

All the repotting instructions that have been posted so far seem to indicate that they are completely inadequately potted. When should I attempt to repot? Now? After all the flowers have faded?

[imafan26]

We just had a discussion about this in my orchid club meeting. It used to be that orchids were grown out in the pots before being sold. But now many of the plants are coming from Thailand or transplanted into pots just prior to being sold and wired into the pot.

Granted many orchids sold to the general public are treated like annuals and not expected to live long, at least not as long as they could naturally live if they were given proper care.

While it is better to repot an orchid after it has finished blooming, it can be repotted in bloom if you have to. Your orchid looks like it is too wet and yellow leaves usually mean dead roots.

Gently take the plant out of the pot. Remove all of the media, it will not be used again. Sterilize your pruners with a torch or lighter. If you use a yellow flame it will leave soot on the blade, and it cannot be wiped off. Inspect the roots. Cut off all dead and soft roots and only keep green and white firm roots. Cut any broken roots as well. I like to soak my plant in a fungicide while I clean up and set up to repot.

Select a pot that has good drainage holes and the roots will barely fit into. Monopodial orchids do not need any extra room.

Sphagnum moss is a good planting media for very young orchids since they need more water and it is easy to pot up and keep the plant stable.

Phals are epiphytes and in their natural habitats they grow sideways and even upside down with there roots spreading on the branches for support or hanging in the air. What people don't realize that while many of the epiphytes live on trees and get rained on practically everyday, their roots are either in the air or attached to the bark of the tree and exposed to the wind so they dry out quickly. The roots are usually not in dirt and they do not dig into the tree branch. They do well in very airy media. They like to stay moist but not soggy. Orchid bark or hapuu works well. They are great on rafts. I use baskets for most of my orchids since I tend to over water. Some of my orchids are in pots with no media, just either packed into the pot or just with a small pot, pot shard, piece of styrofoam or large bark to keep the plant stable. Those I can water everyday without worrying about killing the roots. Phals in bark should be repotted about every 1-2 years, mainly because the bark breaks down and becomes sour.

[applestar]

Thanks, imafan. I'm glad to hear I can do something about it now.
This will be a project for today. I'll have to start by looking for a likely pot or basket to use.