If you do, you better get it a bigger pot before you apply it!

So I'm notorious for torturing Phals. They're my go-to orchid for a new setup, a mount on something, a terrarium experiment, etc, etc. This poor guy has been one used for experimenting for years...bark, mounted, SH, mounted, sphag, under a mister, mounted, etc. Sometime a ways back, I had it in a 75 gallon terrarium experiment (was really trying to grow maidenhair fern) and it was on a mount. Just window dressing hanging on a branch. Well, my experiment failed. Wasn't paying enough attention, and got a ton of mold in the tank. Gave up on the stupid maidenhair fern (for the bajillionth time) then sort of forgot about the terrarium... whoops. :blushing:

When finally I remembered it was in there it had no leaves. Nada. A completely dried up crown. Figured it had finally met its demise. I pried it off the mount and threw it onto a tall vase with water at bottom, after soaking in KelpMax. It started to push out some roots, so I transferred it back to SH. When it finally pushed out leaves, I got twins! I told it, no more experiments for you, just have a happy life now. Here it is about a year or so later, after I relegated it to a shelf.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...oublePhal1.jpg

So I picked it up to look at it, and check out this root system...

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...oublePhal3.jpg

And here's the other side, that was hidden from view...

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...oublePhal2.jpg

All those roots are from last fall to the present. Now I'm wondering... I promised it I'd leave it be. But doesn't it appear to be crying out for a mount again? :biggrin:

Wow, that is one tough orchid! I think let it stay in "retirement" - it is happy with those roots all over the place. If you want to sleep without fear that the roots will reach out and grab you :D, you could put the whole thing into an empty pot of suitable size (maybe 1 gallon) to provide an air space for the roots to get some humidity and stay out of the way but be otherwise free to go where they will.

No mount again hahahah. Just let let it be. I agree with Camille

Seeing things like this makes me 😊!

Feed me Seymour!!

Shucks! Missed my opportunity to take a poll... Should this be mounted or stay in the retirement home? :biggrin:

Leave it ALONE!! It has suffered enough

Mean, ww, just mean!


Lol.

It's really hard to get a good photo of this rootilicious plant! The roots extend almost 3 ft down.

You know that’s how I roll! :whip:

Does this qualify?
 

Been lurking on this board for some time now, first time posting though.

Does this qualify for this thread?
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