Kathy B. writes: > "As long as I'm repotting I figured I'd ask another question which someone > like me should know the answer to already, but here goes. > > Myth or fact? > > Orchids will bloom once their roots fill the pot. > > I'd heard that one day and I wondered if it was true. It was said about > paphs, but it may hold true for other orchids too. Would add creedence to > using a pot just large enough to hold the remaining roots." > It seems to me that using a pot no larger than necessary when repotting most orchids assures that the potting mix does not remain wet for an inordinate amount of time. The roots then do not suffer from lack of gas exchange and the potting mix does not decompose too rapidly. As most orchids have a fairly free root run in nature (and have free access to fresh air at the roots), the idea of needing to fill the pot before blooming makes little sense. In the Paphs, which have neither pseudobulbs, nor succulent leaves, blooming might perhaps be linked to a root system large and healthy enough to provide sufficient stored moisture and nutrient. Though I have to say I have had slippers bloom for me with pitiful root systems (I just didn't know it till repotting time).
Overpotting any kind of plant seems to be bad for plant health for pretty much the same reasons (excessive soil moisture levels, lack of air, and decomposition of the compost), but the pot sizes involved differ. Dennis Westler
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