Dropped a rare orchid pot and lost the whole root ball mid-repot

I was repotting a paphiopedilum last Saturday on my back porch in Austin. The whole thing slipped out of my hands and the root ball just shattered on the concrete. I sat there for a minute thinking I ruined a 3 year old plant, then I grabbed some sphagnum moss and a smaller pot and nursed it back. Has anyone here saved a plant after a full root break during repotting?

3 comments

3 Comments

james_campbell1221d ago

I mean, paphiopedilums actually grow from a rhizome, not a root ball, so yours probably just needs time.

sullivan.spencer21d ago

Just nod and smile while the rhizome does its thing, right? Mine's been "taking time" since last spring, but I'm sure any decade now it'll get the message.

benclark21d ago

Man that's rough, I felt that one just reading it. Glad you got it back in some moss quick though, sometimes they're tougher than we think.