FEATURESTORY
by Ray Barkalow
Orchid Transplant Adaptation
This article is in response to the often-
asked question “How long will it take for my
plant to get reestablished after repotting?”
– Especially when a plant is first moved into
semi-hydroponics. In fact, the phrase trans-
plant adaptation is something of a misnomer.
Orchid roots grow tailored to the envi-
ronment they are in, and once grown, can-
not change. Because of this, whenever you
are change the local root zone conditions –
whether that is by changing the medium (any,
not just semi-hydroponics related), or drasti-
cally change the overall conditions, as when a
plant formerly grown in a Hawaii greenhouse
is moved to your windowsill – you have to be
aware that the plant will need to grow new
roots that are “right” for the new conditions.
If the old and new environments are simi-
lar, or the new one is an improvement (soppy
sphagnum to moist LECA in semi-hydroponics,
for example), there is no real adjustment nec-
essary. The plant will continue growing as if nothing
has happened, or in the case of the improved airflow
of my sphagnum-to-semi-hydroponics example, will
take off and grow better.
If, on the other hand, the change in root zone en-
vironment is vastly different – coming out of dry bark
and into moist sphagnum or semi-hydroponics, for
example – the old root system may be virtually useless
and an entirely new set of roots will need to grow be-
fore the plant has fully “adapted”.
Keeping those two extremes in mind, you can see
that the time period for a plant to become well-estab-
lished in semi-hydroponics is variable and dependent
upon the particular situation. It is important to time
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the conversion to coincide with the formation of new
roots, so that they can grow to function the most ef-
ficiently in the new environment. It is also important
to move to the final state immediately and to not try
“transitional” set of conditions that are in between the
old- and new ones. Doing this sets the plant up to do
a second round of adaptation.
Ideal Conditions for Successful Transition
◆ ◆ The plant and especially its roots are healthy and
strong
◆ ◆ The plant is actively growing new roots
◆ ◆ The roots have been cleaned of all old organic
matter
◆ ◆ Mineral-free water is used to soak the medium
and water the plant
◆ ◆ The plant is kept very warm – in fact, I use bot-
tom heat for all new plants these days
◆ ◆ The plant is kept shady
◆ ◆ The plant is kept in very humid conditions
Those first five factors favor the stress-free growth
of a well-adapted root system, while the last two mini-
mize the stress on th e plant while it does so. GG
Ray Barkalow has been growing orchids for over 45 years, and
owns First Rays, which offers horticultural products to the hobby
grower. He may be contacted at [email protected].
www.GardenandGreenhouse.net
FirstRays.com.
August 2017