How to Transplant Crowded Orchids

Orchids are a tropical flowering species that are often grown in pots in the United States. They have tall stalks and broad leaves at the base, but rather compact root systems. These small roots allow them to grow in pots much smaller than other plants. However, eventually the orchid roots are crowded as the plant produces new shoots and transplanting is required. Transplant orchids every 2 to 3 years.

Cloth
Rubbing alcohol
Hand pruners
Bucket
Peat moss
Sand
Chopped composted bark
Hand trowel
4- to 5-inch plastic pot

Instructions

- 1
  Wait until no blooms remain on the stem before transplanting it into a new pot.
- 2
  Place the pot on a workbench. Support the stalk with one hand and lift the roots and potting mix out of the pot. Gently brush away the potting mix, such a bark or peat moss with your fingers until you can clearly see the roots.
- 3
  Identify the separate round bulbs on the root system, which are all separate orchids. Gently pull each bulb apart using your fingers.
- 4
  Wipe a pair of hand pruners with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol sterilizing them. Trim all the white roots at the orchid’s base by half. Only trim the small white roots that are at the very bottom of the bulbs.
- 5
  Fill a bucket with a mixture of 2 parts composted chopped bark, 2 parts of peat moss and 1 part of sand. Mix the ingredients using a hand spade until they are well combined.
- 6
  Fill a 4- to 5-inch plastic pot half full of the prepared soil mixture. Use separate pots for each orchid plant or root section.
- 7
  Insert each orchid or root section in the pot with the stem or pointed end facing upward. Add additional soil mixture to the top of the pot until the roots are completely covered.
- 8
  Water the top of the soil immediately until the moisture seeps all the way to the bottom.

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