What season is best for repotting orchids? Choosing the right time is key

Orchids generally need repotting every one to two years. Observant orchid growers may notice that a pot full of medium at repotting gradually grows shallower after a year, because some of the fine medium is washed away by water, and some is decomposed by decay.

Repotting orchids is best done in spring and autumn; unless there are special circumstances, repotting in winter or summer is not recommended. Photography-loving farmers prefer to repot in autumn. In autumn, root growth is better than above-ground growth, so at this time the roots recover quickly after repotting, the current year's flowering is not affected, and there will be no more acclimatization period before sprouting the following year, making sprouting smoother.

When repotting orchids, carefully prune away hollow, rotten and damaged roots, as those roots will rot in the pot and cause infection. Orchids whose roots have been pruned must be dried in the air, and only potted up once the wounds have closed and healed. After potting, there is no need to rush to water; waiting two or three days before watering to settle the roots is not too late.

I have done experiments comparing orchids that had their roots pruned and were repotted in late autumn with those repotted in spring. In May of the following year, the new crystal tips on the roots of the autumn-repotted orchids were at least three times longer than those of the spring-repotted ones, and they were also sturdier.