How to Tell When Your Orchid Needs Repotting—and the Right Way to Do It

If your orchid has stopped blooming, has roots growing out of the pot, or seems unhealthy despite proper watering and fertilizing, there’s an easy fix: It may simply need a new pot. Repotting is one of the easiest ways to keep an orchid healthy for years, and once you know the signs, it only takes a few minutes.

When to Repot an Orchid

There are three basic times to repot your orchid.

1. After a New Orchid Finishes Blooming

Many orchids sold in grocery stores and garden centers are potted in tightly packed sphagnum moss. While the moss helps keep the roots moist during shipping and on store shelves, it can stay wet for too long in a home environment, increasing the risk of root rot if not managed carefully. Once the flowers have faded, repot the orchid into a coarse orchid-specific potting mix, such as bark, to improve drainage and airflow around the roots. More on this below.

2. When the Orchid Outgrows Its Pot

If thick roots are spilling over the edge of the container or circling tightly inside the pot, it’s time for a larger home. Most orchids benefit from repotting every one to two years as they grow.

3. When the Potting Mix Breaks Down

Orchid potting mix doesn’t last forever. Over time, bark and other coarse materials decompose into smaller pieces that hold more moisture and reduce airflow around the roots. Even if your orchid hasn’t outgrown its pot, replacing the old mix every one to two years helps keep the roots healthy.

What You Need to Repot an Orchid

An orchid-specific potting mix:

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Choose a coarse mix containing bark and other chunky materials that allow water to drain and air to circulate around the roots. If your orchid hasn’t outgrown its container, replace the old mix and return the plant to the same pot.

The right supplies and equipment:

• Rubbing alcohol or a 10% bleach solution
• A trowel or scoop
• Sharp scissors or pruners
• A new pot, if necessary
• Optional: a chopstick or small wooden dowel and gardening gloves

How to Repot an Orchid

1. Sterilize your equipment: Use the alcohol or bleach solution to thoroughly clean the trowel or scoop and the scissors or pruners. Orchids are highly susceptible to disease, so this is an important step.
2. Remove the orchid from the pot: Carefully remove the orchid. If it has outgrown its pot or if the potting mix has become compacted, it might be hard to remove. Don’t yank on it; try running a butter knife around the outside or gently flexing the pot (if possible) first.
3. Soak the root ball: If the potting medium is very dry or packed into the roots, which are dry and fragile, soak the whole thing before trying to remove any potting mix. This will prevent roots from snapping.
4. Loosen and trim the roots: Gently disentangle potting mix from the roots, and loosen them. Use the scissors or pruners to snip away any dead roots. Dead roots will look unhealthy: black, hollow, soggy, and/or shriveled.
5. Add some potting mix to the new pot: Using the trowel, place a little mix in the bottom of the pot. (If you want, you can place some chunky perlite, small rocks, or even Styrofoam in the bottom of the pot first. This will help keep potting mix from blocking the drainage holes.)
6. Set the plant into the new pot: Gently set the plant into the pot, making sure that the base of the leaves sits just a little below the pot’s rim.
7. Fill with potting mix: Using the trowel, fill the pot with potting mix just to the base of the leaves. You may want to use a chopstick or clean dowel to work some of the mix in between the roots. Try not to leave large spaces under the plant or between roots as they can become a home for unwanted insects.
8. Water well: Soak the potting mix thoroughly and make sure the pot fully drains. Then wait at least a week or even two before watering again. This will encourage the plant’s roots to grow and help the plant adjust to its new space.

After repotting, place the orchid back in an area with bright, indirect light, and enjoy! It’ll likely need some time to bloom again, so don’t worry if it doesn’t bloom right away.

How to Choose the Right Pot for an Orchid

Orchids will often do fine in the same pot for long periods, so you may not want to rush to put them in a larger pot. But when they are starting to seem a little snug, choose a pot that’s about 1 to 2 inches larger around than the current pot.

A plastic pot can be a great choice because it’s light, hard to break, and does a good job of letting water drain without the potting mix drying out too quickly. You can even put a plastic pot inside a larger, more stylish pot, as long as it’s raised up to allow water to drain.

Terra-cotta and ceramic pots can be a good option as well, as long as they allow water to drain. Avoid metal pots because of toxicity and corrosion concerns, bad temperature regulations, and drainage issues.