Repotting Cymbidium Kusuda Shining X Douglas Dillon

A look inside the cymbidium pot

     I decided to repot the last of my new orchids today.  The cymbidium had recovered from being shipped to my apartment without issue, and since it didn't look ready to bloom anytime soon, I thought it would be as good a time as any to repot.  In general I like to repot orchids soon after I receive them so that I can clearly know what the state of the roots and media is.

     the cymbidium was planted in a mix which was primarily sphagnum moss and perlite.  The root mass was large and healthy, but thankfully not terribly overgrown.  Remembering my mistakes with repotting my other cymbidium, I tried to be extra gentle on the roots while prying the old media out.  I held the roots under a running faucet for several minutes, which helped wash out much of the remaining debris, and helped soften and uncoil the roots.

A beautiful root mass

     In the end, I didn't have to trim many dead roots at all.  I ran into trouble when trying to find a new pot to repot the orchid in.  The old one seemed to small, but the only pots I had which were tall enough to contain the root mass, were also much to wide at the rim.  In the end I temporarily potted the cymbidium into an oversize 7 inch pot using dry coarse media.

oversize orchid pot with old pot for comparison

     Meanwhile I ordered a new pot which is 6 inches at the widest, and 8 inches tall.  Since cymbidium roots tend to grow long (much more so than other orchid roots) I expect a taller pot to fit the root shape better.  I was also dismayed at the cost of larger sized ceramic pots ($30+), so I picked out the one that was on sale, selecting by price and dimensions rather than aesthetics.  I also ordered some cymbidium potting media.  When the new purchases arrive, I will transfer the orchid to new pot and media.