New phal from spagh to bare root - now what?

[Dewie7]

Hello,
I purchased a hybrid phal. It arrived bare root. There is spaghnum clinging to some of the roots, so I assume it had been the potting medium. I've read that roots acclimate to the medium and established roots don't re-acclimate if repotted in something different. To me, this suggests that I should put it back in spagh, which makes me uncomfortable. My only experience is with orchids that arrived in spagh. and were eventually repotted. So of course, I don't necessarily WANT to use spagh. Is that the safest option, even considering my lack of experience with it? Any advice on proceeding?

[estación seca]

You can use whatever medium you prefer. Phals tend not to be bothered by repotting. I think Phal roots accustomed to sphagnum moss do fine in other media. Keep it as warm as you can while getting established.

[SouthPark]

True. You can pot the phal into say a bark/perlite mix. Or even a bark mix if you like. The aim will be to then consistently provide satisfactory growing conditions for the phal. Such as nice growing temperature for the leaves and stem and the roots, and good lighting level and lighting duration, and satisfactory amount of water for the roots. And to provide conditions in the pot and medium that avoids drowning the roots.

So consider things like a good drainage pot, and media that allows air to move through the media and around the roots, and also consider a growing area that has nice gentle air-movement (to cut down on fungal and/or bacterial issues).

[Mountaineer370]

Ditto to the advice above. I have a number of Phals that came to me in tightly packed sphagnum moss, and I repotted them into chunky bark, or a commercial mix with bark, charcoal, and perlite. The thing to remember is that sphagnum is a very water-retentive medium, and other media may dry out much more quickly, so pay attention to the roots. The plant will probably need more frequent watering. As long as your growing conditions, in general, i.e., temps, light, humidity, as well as watering, are optimal, the plants should be just fine.

[Ray]

I've read that roots acclimate to the medium and established roots don't re-acclimate if repotted in something different.

That is correct. The plant will need to grow new roots that are “tailored” to the new environment. That’s why it’s always best to repot when new roots are emerging from the base of the plant.

However, the fact that the old roots won’t change doesn’t mean they won’t work after being repotted into something different.

Pot the plant up in whatever medium works for you. You might have to “baby” the plant for a little while as it get settled, but that’s usually not a big burden. It can’t hurt to use a good root growth stimulant, as well.

[Dewie7]

Thank you all. I ended up mixing a good share of spaghnum with bark and perlite. I used a plastic pot with lots of slots which I hope will help. And it's been skewered so I can monitor moisture.