Repotting Orchids for a more Cohesive Look

By Joan
March 5, 2025
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Repotting Orchids for a more Cohesive Look

Over the years I’ve amassed quite a collection of orchids. The oldest is probably 10 years old, the youngest 2 years old. I’ve received several as hostess gifts, one was left from a funeral and I know I pulled one from my son’s garbage after it had finished blooming. It still had green leaves after all.

And with that collection comes a mismatched set of pots.

Since these are all sitting on the ledge of the tub in my bathroom, I was desiring more of a cohesive look.

I may have 6 orchids but I basically know nothing about them. I just let them be and every now and then they bless me with a beautiful flower. Never as beautiful as the set of flowers they came home with, but attractive none the less.

I have potted succulents in an old log but this is my first attempt at repotting orchids. Lets see how it goes.

Only one of my orchids is currently blooming. So pretty, but it only has 2 blooms.

Now the way I care for my orchids is… I water them. Yup, that’s it.

After some research I found you should probably repot your orchid every 1 1/2 – 2 years to get rid of any old plant medium that has broken down. Decayed and rotten roots should be removed and if the plant has outgrown it’s pot, find a larger home.

I say that then I find one website that says to never repot, so go figure.

I’m going to take a go at repotting my orchids just because I like the idea of matching pots.

For my repotting medium I’m using bricks of Sphagnum Moss. It comes in dried blocks like the one in the lower right hand corner of the sink. After soaking overnight , the moss is damp and ready for use.

Another good option is bark mulch.

To get a more cohesive look I chose 4 white ceramic pots from the thrift store ranging from $2 to $4. I had another white pot already on my shelf and I’m reusing the larger gray pot.

Orchid pots should have some sort of drainage, though the pots I chose at the thrift store did not have holes in their bottoms, but then again, neither did my original pots. What they did have were plastic inserts which allowed for drainage and some separation of the moss from the drained water. I’m reusing those plastic inserts.

Gently pull your orchid out of it’s existing pot and knock off any old potting material. Most of my orchids were sitting in pine bark though 2 had a moss base.

Toss the old potting mixture.

If you have a lot of air or aerial roots that may or may not be a sign your orchid is healthy, but either way you shouldn’t cut off a healthy air root as it causes a sore and is therefore open to bacteria.

Great article on air roots here!

One of the videos I watched suggested soaking the entire root bulb in water including the air roots to soften them and you’re able to work with them without breaking. In this way you can tuck the air roots into the pot. I think this is controversial as other gardeners suggested leaving the roots outside the pot. The video suggested it was fine to cover these roots as long as they were barely covered with the moss therefore getting some air.

While this orchid was still alive and had only recently bloomed it had virtually no viable potted roots, only the aerial roots. Not sure how this one is still alive.

Prepare your clippers by wiping with alcohol or with a flame to get rid of bacteria.

Clip off any used flower stems, roots that are dead and dead leaves. Pinch the root, if it is hollow or slimy it is most likely dead. A healthy root can be yellow or green.

The air root that is on top, while it has a brown area, is still alive since the end is still a healthy green. Leave that one alone.

Wring out the extra moisture in the moss before adding a light layer in the bottom of your pot.

Add your plant pushing the moss down into the air pockets. Fill the pot all the way to the top with the moss.

Most of the articles I read said you should hold off repotting an orchid until it has finished blooming. With only 2 blooms and all of my supplies already laid out I chose to repot this guy now.

While there is over the counter orchid food , I also found websites where they feed their orchids with rice water, lemon peel smoothies, potato peels, carrot and coffee water, and aloe water.

Now I am more confused than ever about how to care for my poor, neglected orchids but at least all the pots match!

Don’t over water your orchid but do water when he starts to dry out.

One thing that was not debated was that orchids prefer filtered sunlight, not direct.

I’m questioning whether I should have planted the air roots even though they are all at the top of the pots and barely covered by the moss. I guess I’ll find out in a few weeks. For now, they all look happy and healthy.

Hopefully in a couple months I’ll be able to show you lots of new growth and healthy plants.

I would suggest do your research when it comes to repotting orchids. There are tons of videos out there from actual experts but I think I’ve given you some baseline info to get you started. 😀

Until next time, stay inspired.