# Cymbidium potting question - help!



## Yoyo_Jo (Feb 3, 2010)

Okay, let's first get out of the way that I have lost my mind. There, that's done.

My sister works at Costco and called me the other night to tell me they had just brought in a load of Cymbidiums. Guess what I did? 

My question is: the plants are potted in spaghnum with no drainholes in the pots. Should I:

1) Just water them carefully until they're finished blooming and then repot them? or
2) Transfer them without disturbing the rootball and potting material to a pot with holes? or
3) Insert your better idea here.

Thanks in advance for your help.


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## etex (Feb 3, 2010)

WOW!! You picked real beauties!
The no holes part is disturbing!I don't like the combo of no holes and spagnum at all!! Can you poke holes with a hot nail or screwdriver?
My preference is always to wait till blooms are done before repotting!


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## nikv (Feb 3, 2010)

I agree with etex. And if that is not possible, I would transfer the entire rootball to another pot without disturbing the moss. Drainage is important.


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## Shiva (Feb 3, 2010)

I would repot them now if the sphagnum moss is loose enough to remove without injuring roots. Otherwise, I would wait till flowering is over.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Feb 3, 2010)

So I was poking around in the pot and discovered that they're actually potted in a pot with holes that's sitting in a pot without holes lined with spaghnum moss.  The plants are pretty tightly rootbound, so I think I'll leave them alone until they're finished blooming. At least they have drainage holes.

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. Much appreciated.


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## nikv (Feb 3, 2010)

That looks much better, Joanne.


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## Ernie (Feb 3, 2010)

Before you discovered the pot-in-pot thing I was leaning towards option 3... poke holes in the pot. 

-Ernie


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## Yoyo_Jo (Feb 3, 2010)

^^Great minds think alike. 

I emailed the company that produced/distributed the orchids, Westerlay Orchids out of California, and they said the inside pot should contain 
"Cymbidum bark mixture." There's actual moss growing on the top of the inside pot, so I pushed that back too, and it looks like it is growing in a bark mixture, but from the texture, I'd say it's broken down.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Feb 3, 2010)

Okay, having now knocked one of the plants off my dining room table :sob:, I can indeed confirm they are planted in bark mixture, which is either quite fine or has broken down.

Amazingly, the fall doesn't seem to have phased the plant one bit - none of the three spikes are broken, nor are any of the growths. I now know why they had the moss inside the outside pot - it was to stabilize the plant as they're damn top heavy. As soon as I removed the moss from the outside pot - timber!!!! Oops.


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## SlipperFan (Feb 3, 2010)

A poinsettia came to me like that. It's good you found that it does have drainage. If you don't put it back in that sphagnum setup, you might try setting it in a big clay pot (with drainage hole). That should also stabilize it.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Feb 3, 2010)

Cymbidiums can tolerate a lot. Their root growth is so exuberant that a pot of bark is solid roots, no bark, in an amazingly short time period. Enjoy the blooms, and wait until spring to repot. I actually find that cymbidiums love a mix of coco-peat and perlite...actually, I think cymbidiums love any medium they are planted into......


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## lindafrog (Feb 4, 2010)

Yes, I would poke a few holes in the bottom of the pot. A heated ice pic would do job. It would also be good to dunk the whole pot to make sure nothing is hiding in the potting mix. What is the deal with these no drainage pots.? I bought several amaryallis bulbs for gifts and the pots had no holes. Its difficult to water these bowls. 
Aside from that your new cymbidum looks like a very nice plant. Happy growing
Lindafrog


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## Yoyo_Jo (Feb 4, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions Dot and Linda. I have set the pots in heavy ceramic pots to stabilize them. And each plant is getting dunked in a five gallon pail of water as we speak to flush out any cooties.


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## TyroneGenade (Feb 4, 2010)

Yoyo_Jo said:


> The plants are pretty tightly rootbound, so I think I'll leave them alone until they're finished blooming.



If, when you remove the plant from its pot, the roots all look healthy, then simply put the entire root ball, undisturbed, into a pot one size larger. If some of there is more than three back-bulbs and most of them are leafless and looking less than plump then severe the fourth bulb (or fifth if the fourth looks healthy) so they are not a drain to the plant. You can leave the severed bulbs int the pot and they will sprout. These can be repotted when the entire plant becomes too big to be manageable.

Feed heavily when the blooms fade and the new growth begins. You will be feeding the plant for it to flower 2 seasons from now.


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