Bc, or Blc Daffodil, last repotted in 1987. Should I repot it?

10 years ago

Info comes up for both Bc and Blc, in any case I have had the plant since 2001 and know it's history. Previous owner last repotted it with fresh bark in 1987, getting ready to repot in 1,990 but bought a large boat instead and lost interest in the orchids as he and his wife became boat people. He has a fully automated greenhouse where temp, light, water etc was all controlled so they kept perking along with or without him.

In 2,000 they sold the boat and he looked at his orchids again. He gave me a few divisions and this plant which he no longer wanted. Told me it had been 13 years since it got fresh bark and probably should be repotted. Not being a fan of repotting, I decided it was probably not time yet and left it alone. The plant has completely overgrown the pot and I have no idea what's left inside that pot. The bark probably turned to mush and washed out. It's hanging and the back of the pot is visible if one pushes the leaves aside.

It blooms faithfully every year, starting now and will continue off and on for at least 3 month. I have taken numerous divisions from it for trades and gifts to keep it smaller than 2 feet but it just keeps getting bigger.

Since it's been 27 years since it's got fresh bark, maybe it's getting that time. On the other hand, I think it will be fine for at least another 27 years. What do you think?

Nick

Comments (7)

orchidnick
Original Author
10 years ago
The first sign of spring, the initial blooms of this spring bloomer.
orchidnick
Original Author
10 years ago
The entire plant which would be twice as big it I had not removed numerous divisions over the years.

Nick
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terpguy
10 years ago
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
jbraun_gw
10 years ago
Makes you think about the whole repotting thing when you see this doesn't it. Are orchids like weeds? Do they keep doing what they need to survive regardless of us?
arthurm
10 years ago
There are some of us who are space challenged!!!! Should I repot it ???? Indeed! More like getting out a circular saw and chopping it up into manageable pieces. One piece can be sent across the big big puddle to me.

I have nearly finished the annual inspection/repotting/fiddling/cleaning process on my collection and found one plant the other day that was in a pot within a pot within a pot. It was growing OK so I left it. There is an evil influence at work here.

Seriously, once an orchid gets to this size you either divide it or make it part of the garden and then you cannot take it to an orchid meeting or show.
{{gwi:141441}}
orchidnick
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for your comments and since it's working great, I have intention of fixing it. What prompted me to do this post was the Xmas plant I brought home from our annual Xmas party. It's a Pot Red Crab 'Kuau Miau' AM/AOS from Kawamoto. It's in a 4" pot with bark and has a bunch of roots outside the pot. The roots took a major beating from the travel but it will reform them since it's on that course.

Point is that repotting is only essential to plants that require the inside of the pot for survival. If there are no roots outside the pot and the inside is unhealthy, you have a problem. If on the other hand there is a plethora of roots outside the pot, the plant no longer needs a healthy interior of the pot and will grow quite nicely with the outside roots. This plat is in healthy new bark yet it has lots of outside roots.

I plan to just put it in a empty larger pot and never repot it or replace the bark. End of story. 27 years from now it may well look like the Daffodil and get there with a minimum of work other than proper light, temp, water and nutrient. I make a big point of this when I give my Orchids 101 lectures at our show. Give them good conditions and otherwise let them do their thing.

Nick
orchidnick
Original Author
10 years ago
The plant is in it's new home now. The rocks are there for stability, it's a tall plant and would fall over otherwise. Probably good for at least 5 years, if it spreads out too much sideways I'll hang it up otherwise it can sit on the bench. I'll never replace the bark which is no longer of any consequence, a point which many people don't realize. Maybe eventually drop it into a larger empty pot.

Nick