Fill the pot and place the plant. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Let the plant air-dry for a few hours before repotting it in fresh potting medium. Instead, the layer of local clay pebbles holds and supports the root ball of your orchid plant. Remove any dead leaves and roots Prepare the plant for potting by trimming back some of the roots and remove any old, broken-down compost. Once the orchid comes out, separate the roots to remove the old growing medium. Add some new, fresh potting soil . 1. Step 1: Carefully remove the orchids from their pot, making sure that you don’t damage them. Check out Methods for dying orchids blue at home and Dyed Orchid Care. Sterilize a sharp knife or razor blade with rubbing alcohol. Check the roots for signs of rot and discoloration. Step 4: After all the rubbing alcohol is removed from the blade, turn on your stove and run the knife through the fire for 10 seconds. 7. Should you see any dead or rotten roots, use clean scissors to clip them off. After the orchid is out of its pot, use your fingers and a clean pair of scissors to clean up the roots. STEP 3. The three main causes of drooping orchid leaves are under watering, overwatering, or rotten roots. Then, soak the rusty scissors overnight. Cymbidiums appreciate a resting period; so, once a year move your Orchid to a cool dark area for a month. The lower 1/3 of the bulbs should be below the planting medium, and the medium should be about 3/4″ below the rim of the pot. Make sure the water in the bowl is full of lemon juice. If the Phal is in good condition, it will grow a new flower spike below the cut and flower again. Take this chance to tidy the plant up by removing old, dead leaf bracts, dead flower stems and trimming damaged leaves. Orchids are sensitive to germs and bacteria. Many orchid experts recommend disinfecting metal utensils with open flame, which some gardeners may find inappropriate. You can accomplish the same goal with common household materials, which aren’t nearly as dangerous as playing with fire. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water. Rinse thoroughly and dry your hands on a clean towel. How to Disinfect Orchid Cutting Tools - Just Add Ice Orchids Once the orchid is removed from the pot, gently remove any old potting mix from around the plant and the roots. You can use it to sterilise scissors before use on an orchid, to clean an orchid’s roots after some have been trimmed away to prevent rot, and to clean an orchid’s leaves. Prep Work. Handle the air roots with caution while managing them inside or outside the pot. (Not everyone likes harsh chemicals) 1) Sterilize scissors. This removes any form of bacteria from the tool. In the case when the bark is needed immediately, the processing is carried out immediately after sorting. Use the tweezers or your fingers to clean out the old bits from deep in the roots. Instructions: First, sanitize. You can easily soak your scissors/pruning shears in a 50% solution of bleach too. Step 2: Cut Off the Dead Roots. If the roots can fit in the old pot, I clean the old pot and return the orchid into the pot. To prevent damaging the orchid, turn the potted orchid upside down, tap the container, gently rock the plant out of the pot and loosen soil from the roots. All you need is a 3 or 5-gallon bucket, water and bleach. (3 to 4 layers at least) Wrap the scissors in an open position so the steam can penetrate all surfaces. .Be sure to rinse the leaves thoroughly afterwards to remove … In several months, the orchid will send out a new stem and blooms. So be sure to cut the damaged leaf at the base, or the point where it joins the rest of the plant. Rinse the roots with lukewarm water. Gently un-pot your orchid. How to sterilize plastic orchid pots? If desired, use the soft bristle brush to clean any dirt or debris from between the blades of the scissors. You can also carefully deadhead the plant, however, spent flowers may just fall on their own. Water the orchid. Trim off any bad roots with sterilized scissors. But sterilization of pruning scissors is very important. Give your plant a clean cut by removing the old stems. Setup: Work with at least 2 scissors; one scissors will stand in sterilizer solution while I work with the other scissors. 6. If the orchid is very root bound Gently Squeeze the sides of the pot to encourage the roots to release. Mix rubbing alcohol with a few drops of liquid dish soap in a spray bottle and spray the leaves to damage the pests, similar to insecticidal soap. Wait till the mixture cools down to room temperature, then drain it. Despite reblooming orchids or encouraging new root growth, you will be doing the following actions to care for an orchid after the booms have fallen off: -Cut the flower spike back. – Seal the cut with powdered cinnamon to prevent fungal disease. As old and dead stems are removed, the plant will be focused more on developing new stems and growing new spikes. If scissors or pruning shears are contaminated then, there is a chance of the spread of viral diseases during the pruning process. The picture above shows the scissors cutting above the second stem node. Add a little portion of the potting mix to … At some point, you’ll want to sterilize it with dilute bleach and with hydrogen peroxide. Identifying Orchids What kind of orchid do I have? Fill the pot with the potting mixture till the part over the stem or the rhizome. Remove the old potting medium. rceremi Says: Spread the orchid on a mesh screen to fit evenly in the dehydrator. Drain the materials and then transfer them to the orchid pots after they have cooled. Rinse with water and then dry with a dry cloth. Hydrogen peroxide is an orchid-safe disinfectant. Place orchid in its new pot. Step 3: Clean up the roots. Choose the ideal orchid to grow hydroponically. While your orchid is out of the pot and free of any medium, it is time to check for decay. Use a bleach solution or rubbing alcohol to sterilize scissors. Orchid pot. You can do this by digging around the base of the orchid plant with a pencil or knife to loosen the root ball. The leaves of the orchid should be level with the top of the pot. Not only do sterilized tools and hands help keep orchids healthy, … I also spray them with Hydrogen Peroxide 3%, but that’s optional. – Make a cut about 1 or 2 inches above the base of the orchid’s stem using a sterile knife or scissors. Clean out all the bad (dry/soggy) roots once you’ve gotten to inspect them. You might need 3-4 lemons to make the bowl full. Orchids love a snug fit for pots, and if the pot is new, I find it helpful to use a 1-2 inches larger pot. Use Rubbing Alcohol: Wipe the blades with a cotton ball saturated with rubbing alcohol. This will keep the air out and the humidity in. Cut the Stems from the Base. -Move your orchid to an area with cooler temperatures. Snap the stick, you’re glowing. Most gardeners know that it is important to disinfect pruning tools (pruning shears, saws, loppers, etc.) Leave a few centimetres of roots as an anchor for the plant in its new pot. The remedy for dehydrated orchids is simply watering my orchids. Prune mature orchids once a year during their dormancy period, after the blooms have faded. And to end this article, hydrogen peroxide is also used in glow sticks. Use boiling water to sterilize and moisten your potting materials, such as fir tree bark chips and sphagnum moss, in a container without a bottom hole. It’s important to always remember to sterilize the scissors/pruners before AND after using them to cut orchids. Wash the leaves with soapy water to remove and damage the pests. You can clean the scissors with very hot water and soap, rubbing alcohol, or bleach solution. Soak the roots to remove more dirt and make the roots flexible; Add some new orchid mix in the new pot so the orchid growth will be level with the rim. Trim the roots using a pair of heavy garden scissors. Dip the cloth into the disinfectant and squeeze out any excess liquid. Sterilize your scissors or pruning blades. Cut the air roots clean. Your orchids love clean air! Place the orchid roots inside and backfill the container with new soil One of the ways around this is to quarantine your new orchid for a few months and look for pests and molds. Again, be very careful to not clip away any healthy roots — repotting orchids does not need to be a traumatic experience! Removing the Orchid from Its Old Pot. Use sharp scissors (that have been sterilized) to cut off any brown or rotting roots. – Wait for the orchid’s flowers to fade and fall off the plant. I clean the new pot if some chemicals or substances may have adhered to the pot’s wall. ... My moth orchid has had blooms for 11 of the 12 months of this year, absolutely incredible that a little plant can bloom so long. 9. Orchids are prone to disease, so clean your scissors with a mixture of bleach and water. Monitor the seeds as they develop into protocorms, which are the tiny seedlings. Add water for full or semi-water culture. Remove the orchids from the plastic pot. While you are sterilizing your orchid pot (s), you should also take this opportunity to sterilize your gardening scissors and any other tools you may be using. Then, cut below the keiki where the roots meet the parent plant. McKesson Antiseptic Hydrogen Peroxide 3% is a no-nonsense product that, when diluted in water, effectively sterilizes snipped orchid roots before replanting. Step 2: Leave healthy white or green roots. When the roots are exposed, cut away the dead roots with a pair of sharp scissors or a knife. To make a 10% bleach solution, mix 9 parts water with 1 part bleach in the bucket. Sterilizing the tools can be done by wiping with pure alcohol. Step 4: Place the orchid in its new pot. Carefully remove the old potting mix from around the orchid roots. Boiling water may work too, but could rust metal tools if you’re not careful, and using a flame may blacken the tool. Use a scouring pad and the soapy water to scrub the insides of the pot. The next step is to cut off the dead roots of your orchid plant. Carefully remove the orchid from its old pot, releasing it root by root. Step Seven: Plant Your Orchid Again. Sterilize a pair of scissors/pruners with Hydrogen peroxide 3% and snip off the bad roots one by one. Once the twelve hours (or more) are up, you can replant your orchid. Remember that exposing the plant to open wounds could introduce fungal diseases. Click to see full answer. Trim off decay and repack the roots. New Orchids: When you purchase a new orchid, if that orchid has pests or molds you can transfer them to the other orchids in your collection. A plastic bucket. Underwatering my orchids easily leads to dehydration. Scissors or Clippers. It’s also important that you don’t just cut your plant anywhere, since it might damage your orchid plant further. This can be done two ways: Put the solution into your reservoir and run it through the towers and the system*, or. -Add fertilizer. Wipe dry with a clean towel. Add some to the edges of the pot, and then gently transfer your orchid into the resulting hollow. When repotting an orchid, just let the aerial roots be as they are. There’s no need to stick them inside the pot with the other roots.