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Really really rootbound Phaius

Discussion in 'Orchid Culture' started by Ann, May 8, 2009.

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  1. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    I just, today, unpotted the Phaius I got from EFG and roots were crammed into that pot. I mean frickin' CRAMMED! They use sphagnum and recommend sphagnum for their Phaius so I repotted in a larger pot with sphagnum. BUT........I didn't do anything with the roots. Should I have tried to release them or is just repotting in a larger pot okay? I've not come across this before and I'm not a beginner but as I was repotting I was thinking, "What would people on the forum have done?" It's not too late. I could easily unpot it.
     
  2. Tom_in_PA

    Tom_in_PA I am not an addict

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    If you could loosen them without damaging them it would not hurt, but if there is any chance of damage I would leave them be.
     
  3. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    Thanks, Tom. That was my thought. They were wrapped so tightly with no old sphag showing that I didn't think I could loosen them without damage. I MAY unpot it and try shooting some water onto them and see what happens. I'll get a picture when I do. Thanks again.
     
  4. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    I unpotted it and used tweezers to pull out all the old sphag I could get. Water loosened some of the outer roots without damage so it is now repotted. I pushed new sphag into the holes I made removing the old stuff. Here's a picture before I did anything.
    phaiusroots0509-002web.jpg
     
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  5. Mary Jane

    Mary Jane New Member

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    Roots galore!
     
  6. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    Tell me about it!
     
  7. Mary Jane

    Mary Jane New Member

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    I bet the slugs and snails would love to get at those!
     
  8. Alexis

    Alexis New Member

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    I think it's a good thing you were able to loosen some of the roots. I bought a D smilliae earlier this year, and the root ball was so dense, it was impossible to pull away even one root without significant damage. I was pretty upset with the grower. Roots are good, but that thing should have been repotted 2 years ago! I have the Dend suspended on a wire hanger with no media so I can observe what happens with the roots. There has been no activity among the roots in the ball, but there are lots of new roots spreading along the top. So it appears the plant will make it, but I bet I end up eventually having to cut away much of the old root ball.
     
  9. Mary Jane

    Mary Jane New Member

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    Are they blooming yet, Ann? :D
     
  10. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    All over themselves. :D Loosening those roots did the trick. :rolleyes::D
     
  11. Mary Jane

    Mary Jane New Member

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    You are the Phaius goddess. :D
     
  12. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    Exactly, and thanks! Now I need to go make a multitude of lime green/purple/pink and aqua polka dots to put on a baby shower cake. Brings a goddess back down to earth in a big frickin' hurry!
     
  13. Mary Jane

    Mary Jane New Member

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    Oooh! Another cake! I can't wait for the photo. :D

    I've noticed the tv folks have been airing the hell out of Ace Of Cakes recently. Duff has some really talented people working for him.
    I think you should make this cake light up or rotate or something Duff-like. Don't you?
     
  14. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    Ya think? Maybe not this one but my daughter's guy friend has a birthday on July 4th and I'm seriously thinking about something along those lines for him. Maybe a rocket that blasts off or something. Or a dud rocket which just falls over. I can make cakes fall over. :D Yes, Duff has some amazing people -- all of them completely nuts -- but extremely talented.
     
  15. Mary Jane

    Mary Jane New Member

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    A rocket! Now you're talking! I wonder if there's a site out 'there' that shows us how to do that stuff with baked goods?
     
  16. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    Sure. Just put "making rocket cake" in Google and have fun! You want to look at some fun cakes? Go to http://www.pinkcakebox.com

    You want to know how I'd go about making a rocket cake? First I'd take three 6" or larger cardboard rounds (like you can get at Michaels in the Wilton department) and cover them with some patriotic colors. Then I'd bake a sheet cake and cut it into rounds, say 3" or 4", probably 4". I'd stack the 4" rounds with icing between them until I got the height I wanted minus the cone on top. Sharpen a 1/4" dowel (also at Michaels in the Wilton dept) and drive it down through all the rounds and into the cardboard base. Then ice the sides with icing and decorate it however you want. Michaels probably has tons of 4th of July stuff you could put on the sides. Then I'd take either an ice cream cone if it was big enough or a cone shaped paper cup, put it on top, cover it with icing, probably using the star tip and sprinkle edible glitter on it. You can get those tubes of icing at the grocery store with tips attached. Then I'd stick sparklers near the bottom. I'd probably have to cut some of the sparkler off but since you won't be holding it it won't matter. That's just a beginning but I think it would work.
     
  17. Mary Jane

    Mary Jane New Member

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    What would you use as a propellant? We are going to launch that sucka, right?
     
  18. Ann

    Ann Beadin' fool

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    Gin, probably the blue kind, using whatever's left after........
     
  19. Tropic

    Tropic New Member

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    Many of my EFG Phaius and Phaiocalanthe hybrids get rootbound within a year and I have to replant and divide them every Spring. Then I am faced with the tightly knotted mass of roots and amazing determination of plants to remain close buddies. So beginning with a good strong jet of water, I clean most of the old sphagnum moss away and gradually get my fingers forced in among the roots and slowly with some force, spread out the roots and pull through some of the cross binding roots to be able to break away and define seperate plants for individual establishment in new pots with fresh sphagnum moss. I have found that the roots are extremely strong and tough with early signs of new rood growths showing a few days after repotting. They show no sign of shock and begin new shoots and fast growths in record time. So I do not really treat these orchids with kid gloves and now believe they enjoy some rough handling and benefit greatly from the fresh sphagnum and new drainage in good clean plastic pots.
     
  20. Gordon

    Gordon Member

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    No-ones going to eat this cake, right? Although, i did notice you wrote edible glitter. So now i'm confused...
    /Gordon