Q.
Why should I sterilize my cutting tools?

A.
Sanitation is important for maintaining healthy orchids. Apparently healthy plants may be diseased. While bacterial and fungal infections can often be treated, viral infections cannot. Virused plants must be destroyed so that the disease is not spread to other orchids by insects or careless handling. Some growers wear latex gloves to not only protect their hands, but to prevent the spread of disease between plants. Of course, protection is only provided if you change the gloves between handling each plant. This can be tedious of you are potting dozens of orchids. An alternate plan is to wash hands between plants, especially if you come in contact with cut plant tissue. If you are only potting one orchid, you probably do not need to worry about sterilizing your cutting tools. Each grower must establish their own level of comfort when it comes to sanitation.  


Q.
Are potting materials dangerous to handle?

A.
Potting materials are not inherently dangerous to handle. The coarse texture of tree fern and lava rock can leave your hands rough after an afternoon of potting. If your hands are particularly sensitive, wear cotton or rubber gloves or use scoops to avoid handling the media. Additionally, sphagnum moss can harbor a fungus that causes the lymph infection, Sporotrichosis. Although this infection is rare among growers, if you are sensitive to such things, be safe and wear rubber gloves when handling sphagnum moss.


Q.
Which is better, clay or plastic pots?

A.
Like many factors of orchid culture, this depends on your growing conditions. Plastic pots retain moisture for a longer period than clay pots. So if you are growing indoors or in a greenhouse and only have time to water your orchids once or twice a week, plastic pots are a good choice. If you are growing your orchids outdoors in a rainy sub-tropical area like Florida, clay pots are more suitable.


Q.
I get nervous about cutting off roots. Is there any way to easily tell dead roots from live?

A.
With experience you will be able to tell good roots from bad at a glance. Although it varies from genera to genera, dead roots are soft and mushy while live roots are firm. Dead roots are often brown, but this is not a reliable indicator for all genera as there are some orchids whose roots are normally brown. A useful test is to pinch a root between thumb and forefinger and pull away from the plant. If the velamen comes off leaving a thin wiry root behind, the root can be removed. We are not suggesting that you test every root, but this can give you a clue about a particular orchid. If you follow the suggestion of repotting only when there is active new root growth, which roots to cut is not as critical.


Q.
One of the members of our local orchid society said I should be growing my Paphiopedilums in sphagnum and charcoal instead of bark. What do you think?

A.
There is no one solution for orchid culture. What works for one person may not work for you. It is wise to try a new culture technique on only a few plants before committing a whole collection to it. If this grower is having good success with their Paphs using sphagnum and charcoal, try a few potted in this media and evaluate the results over a full year's growth and subsequent flowering before moving all of your Paphs into this mix. Every orchid grower has their "secret recipes". The AOS Potting Workshop provides you basics on which to build your knowledge.


Q.
When should I begin watering a repotted orchid?

A.
There are two schools of thought on this matter. Some say that you should withhold water for a week or two (until roots are active) suggesting that drier conditions will encourage roots to seek moisture. They advocate only misting plants during this period. We tend to favor the other school of thought which is to water repotted orchids normally, along with your other orchids. We feel that repotting an orchid, no matter how careful you are, causes stress to the plant. The humidity created by moist potting media will help ease the stress. If you have potted the orchid at the right time, there should be root growth already.


Q.
Can I reuse orchid pots?

A.
You can, but they should be sterilized. Clay and plastic pots can be soaked in a 30 gallon garbage can of water with one gallon of household bleach added. Pots should remain soaking for a few days. After that time you can rinse them with clear water and allow them to dry in the sun for a week before use. Some growers use pottery kilns to sterilize clay pots.


Q.
I can never figure out where to divide an orchid, any suggestions?

A.
This is probably the most difficult thing for a beginner to learn, and the most dependant upon experience. The more growths you leave per division, the better the chances the plant will establish quickly and flower the following year. For most sympodial orchids, it is a good idea to leave a minimum of three mature growths and one new lead per division. Orchids have natural growth habits and will often show you where to divide them, take the time to study the plant before you cut.


Q.
How big of a pot should I use?

A.
When repotting an orchid, choose a pot that will allow for about two year's growth. Some genera, such as Dendrobium, prefer to be pot-bound so lean towards a smaller pot. If you are using inorganic media you can slightly overpot because the media does not break down.


Q.
Is there any easier way to remove old media from the roots than with your fingers?

A.
If you have access to an outside hose you can wash out old media with water. Use a shutoff valve set at half-open to create a gentle jet of water.


Q.
Why so many headless people at the Potting Workshop?

A.
Glad that you asked. If you ever have looked at any fine art figure photography you will notice that there is rarely eye contact. This is to avoid getting distracted by the personality of the model and to enable the viewer to concentrate on the figure study. We felt the same concept applied to the AOS Potting Workshop. We did not want you to get distracted from the technique being demonstrated. Someday, in a distant galaxy, we may post headshots of the demonstrators online.