Pleiones - why repot every year?

[mark smyth]

Up to winter 2010 I grew my few out in the garden. They stayed in place from one year to the next and flowered well. They weren't in loose airy mix either, well Shantung was. They grew sitting in cracks of peat blocks. The rest grew in what was a mix of soil, leaf mould and grit

[Mark Griffiths]

Maren, I think maybe you've given me a clue. I think the orchid compost is very dry and so they are actually too dry to start - when they are in old compost it retains some moisture from the last watering of the year.

Mark, I tried some outside with no luck - we have too many slugs to do it in this garden but that sounds fascinating! - got any pics?

[mark smyth]

pleiones growing outside

[mark smyth]

Shantung growing in peat 'sausages' that make up the wall of the peat bed.

[Mark Griffiths]

 very nice Mark, something very satisfying seeing them au naturale as it were.

[monocotman]

Mark - lovely to see pleiones growing outside.
I guess that they haven't read the books about needing to keep the compost during flowering!
If the compost has the right porosity and drainage then maybe the advice has been over emphasised,
David

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Up to winter 2010 I grew my few out in the garden. They stayed in place from one year to the next and flowered well. They weren't in loose airy mix either, well Shantung was. They grew sitting in cracks of peat blocks. The rest grew in what was a mix of soil, leaf mould and grit

Do I remember correctly that you lost them during that winter Mark ?

[mark smyth]

I have no photos after 2010 but just checking all Shantung are gone but one is hanging on in my woodland bed

[mark smyth]

Actually this probably isnt Shantung. I'll get it IDd when it flowers. Photo taken just now

[Maren]

A good reason for re-potting is to avoid overcrowding. This Pln Barcena was overlooked and has formed new pseudobulbs in more than one layer. It will be quite a job to take apart. - Apologies about the picture quality.

[LarsB]

I used to repot every year because i'd been told that it was best that way. When the number of Pleiones grew beyond my capacity for repotting, i began to leave some in the same compost for two years. WHat worked fine. Nowadays i repot as many as i can, but i often reuse the compost as it is not broken down and as long as it is hte same plannts going back, i don't need ot worry about the odd bulbil left behind. I jsut take then from the compoost, trim the roots and dip them in neem oil and then back in the pot. SOme get new compost if they need it, some might need more space.

I started browing some of them mounted some four or five years back and they just stay on the slab. SOme years i apply neem oil to the buls. They grow fine.

 

[pseudobulb]

i  dont   always  repot my extensive  collection  every year，it depends on the condition of the compst，i repot those growing with a high proportion of spagnum moss every year。 i allso rcycle some previously used  compost  to help keep costs down。 i spoke to ian butterfield some years ago and he said he only repots  half his collection  each year，although  this  may have changed 

[Maren]

Hi Pseudobulb,
that must have been some time ago. When I asked Ian quite recently, he told me that he re-pots everything annually, for hygiene reasons. As a regular visitor to his nursery, I have never seen any pots or pans with pleiones in compost in the winter, other than winter flowering pleiones or seedlings first year out of flask.

[pseudobulb]

hi maren   it was many  years ago that ian told me that，last time  i visited his nursery  was around 1980，iam over due another visit。

[Darren]

Like many of you I have been repotting annually for a few years now. I'd prefer not to as the growing medium is OK for at least two years but I, also, find that it gets colonised by small slugs, woodlice etc during the summer outdoors. These either eat into the bulbs during winter or might attack the new roots in spring. Also I get frequent requests for spare material so often end up disturbing the pots anyway.  That said - I often don't get around to repotting until late in the winter anyway and they sit in the old medium until then.