Stanhopea
can be very rapid in growth and often need repotting every two years. In fact, I have some forms that grow so
quickly that they need repotting after only one year. Seedling Stanhopea
have been the slowest growers for me and may not need repotting as frequently,
though large divisions can outgrow their containers rapidly. I often use the term re-basketing to describe
the repotting process for Stanhopea
because mature specimens are grown in baskets.
Baskets are the most common containers because Stanhopea produce pendent inflorescences that either grow downward
through the growing medium or along the top of the medium and out of the
basket. Immature Stanhopea can be grown in pots until they are mature enough to
bloom. It is much easier to care and
grow immature Stanhopea in pots
because they can be kept moist, thus preventing large shifts in the wet/dry
cycle. For this reason I usually do not
place an immature Stanhopea into a
basket until it will easily fit into a 6 inch (15 cm) one.
When to repot or
rebasket
Once Stanhopea reach a mature size they can
be re-basketed every two years because they usually fill the container, or the
growing medium begins to break down. However, if your intent is to grow a
trophy Stanhopea in a large basket
then you may be able to delay re-basketing for three or four years. For smaller
Stanhopea, I usually don’t have to
wait until the pseudobulbs fill the container, but rather if the new growth
begins to appear at the edge of the container, then I determine that it is time
to re-basket.
There
are two times of the year that are the best to repot or re-basket. I usually like to repot in fall because the
majority of the Stanhopea have
bloomed and there is little chance of damaging a developing inflorescence. Early to mid-fall seems best for this type of
repotting. The second best time I find
to repot is in early spring after growth begins but before inflorescences have
initiated. This also coincides with a time before major root growth, so there
is little chance of damaging new roots.
Materials
The materials needed for repotting
or re-basketing are rather easy to obtain.
These materials include either pots or baskets, growing media, basket lining
material, cutting tools, plastic labels
and a disinfectant (Physan 20). Growing
media includes small seedling or terrestrial mix and Cattleya mix that I soak
overnight in a mixture of Physan 20 and water to ensure that the media is
sterile, and allow it to remain moist for potting purposes. If the potting
medium is of excellent quality, then there will be few pieces of wood or poor
quality bark that are included in the mix.
However, if you are unsure of the quality of the growing medium you can
soak it overnight, and allow the poor quality bark to sink to the bottom of the
container while retaining the good quality bark at the top. You will want to do this before charcoal and
perlite are added to the mix. New
Zealand moss is also used as growing media for seedling and small Stanhopea. For specific growing medium details see the Stanhopea Growing Media post. There are also some
basket options listed here: Stanhopea Containers.
You will also need a label and a permanent marker to make sure that your
Stanhopea remains correctly
identified. Sterile razor blades or scissors and cutting tools are necessary to
prevent transmission of viruses and bacterial infection from one plant to
another. It is always a good idea to
sterilize your tools, pots, and potting media especially if you have invested a
good deal of time and money into your orchid collection. Make sure to sterilize your cutting tools
between use on each individual plant.
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| Polyethylene 6 inch (15 cm) basket (left). Same basket lined with green moss and allowing a pocket in the center where the plants roots can be placed (right). |
The Process
When it is time to repot a smaller Stanhopea this is a rather simple process. I make sure I have a pot that is at least 1-2
inches (2.5-5.0 cm) larger in size than the pot I currently have the plant
growing in. I then have the appropriate
growing medium available to fill the new pot.
Seedlings
If the Stanhopea is a seedling and is planted in moss, the old moss should
be carefully removed from the roots. If
the Stanhopea has grown through the
media well it may be difficult to remove all of the moss from the roots, but
try to remove as much of the old material as possible to prevent it from
rotting the roots and pseudobulbs in the future. Remove any dead roots with a sterile razor
blade or cutting tool. You can now place
new moss around the root ball and fill the bottom of the new pot with
approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) of moss.
Place the root ball of the orchid in the new pot and position it so that
the bottom of the pseudobulbs are at the same level as, or just below the top
of the pot, and fill the remaining space in the pot with extra moss. Make sure to water the medium so that it is
able to keep the plant moist.
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| Stanhopea frymirei seedling needing new moss to be added to the pot. This is one of the difficulties of growing Stanhopea outdoors where birds and other animals steal the moss from pots to make nesting material. |
Small Stanhopea
Repotting
a small Stanhopea is similar to
seedlings. Remove the orchid from the
old pot and remove as much of the old potting medium to prevent rotting of
pseudobulbs and roots. Remove any dead
roots with a sterile cutting tool.
Select a pot that is at least 1.0-2.0 inches (2.5-5.0 cm) larger than
the old container and fill the bottom with 1.0-2.0 inches (2.5-5.0 cm) of
growing medium. Place the root ball of
the orchid in the new pot, and position it so that the bottom of the pseudobulbs
are just below the top of the pot, then fill the remaining space in the pot
with growing media. Make sure to water
the medium so that it is able to keep the plant moist. You will probably not
need to water the orchid again for a few days after repotting.
 |
| Stanhopea oculata unpotted from a 4 inch (10 cm) pot (left). Close up of roots of S. oculata showing good root growth, and potting mix that should be removed from roots before repotting (right). |
Large Stanhopea
Re-basketing a larger Stanhopea requires additional materials
and patience. Removal of the Stanhopea from an old basket often
requires cutting of the old basket material away from pseudobulbs that have
grown through the basket. If the Stanhopea is large enough for you to
divide it you can split the orchid into several divisions with four to five
pseudobulbs per division, making sure that this includes three or more
pseudobulbs with leaves. Once you have
removed the Stanhopea from the old
basket and/or divided it, remove as much of the old growing media as possible
from the roots. Use a sterilized cutting
tool to remove any dead or damaged roots.
Choose a good size basket that will allow for 2 years of growth,
approximately 2.0-3.0 inches (5.0-7.5 cm) larger than the division you are
planting. Line the basket with material
to keep the growing medium in the basket (either coconut fiber, green moss, or
paper bark, etc.). Once the basket is
lined, then place 1.0-2.0 inches (2.5-5.0 cm) of growing medium in the bottom
of the basket. Insert the root ball of
the Stanhopea and fill in with
growing media so that the bottom of the pseudobulbs are approximately 0.5-1.0 inches
(1.2-2.5 cm) below the top of the basket. This is accomplished to allow the
growing media to cover the bottom of the pseudobulbs so that most of the
inflorescences will grow down into the medium.
However, some species allow the inflorescences to grow along the top of
the growing medium, so this position allows inflorescences a good position near
the surface as well. Fill in the rest of
the basket with the remaining growing medium, pressing gently to ensure that
all large void spaces are filled with media.
I do this with my fingers instead of a potting stick because I tend to
damage the roots more with the stick. Make
sure to wash your hands thoroughly between each re-basketing of plants to
ensure everything is kept sterile. Once
the orchid has been repotted, water well and place in the shade for a few days
to a couple of weeks. Large Stanhopea that have recently been
repotted may not need to be watered again for a few days or more if the weather
is cool and moist.
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| Stanhopea oculata after repotting into a 6 inch (15 cm) basket (left). The same S. oculata approximately 1 year after repotting (right) |
