Orchids in cultivation require regular repotting. An adult plant should be repotted on average every other year, or perhaps once a year, depending upon porri the type.

Most orchids will be happy in ordinary plastic pots; in fact, these are preferable to clay pots owing to the dry nature of the compost. Clay pots are useful for top-heavy plants, standing the plastic pot inside a slightly larger clay one. Those orchids which persist in making aerial roots can be treated differently; they can be put into hanging baskets, or wired onto a piece of cork bark. Cork bark is best because it takes a very long time to rot and because the roots can easily adhere to the rough surface.

Young plants in small pots will need to be potted or ‘dropped’ on into larger pots every six months or so, and this also should be done in spring and autumn. The summer growing and winter resting seasons are not good times to disturb orchids and should he avoided. Repotting becomes necessary when the plant has outgrown its pot, or preferably when it has just filled the pot. Sympodial orchids grow forward, producing each new pseudobulb or growth in front of the previous one.