Beginner questions on miniature phal

[luellaorchid]

Originally Posted by RosieC

I was initially thinking soak it to remove the moss, THEN don't water again till it's dry.

But you probably can remove it without soaking. Thinking about it the last one I bought I removed all the moss without soaking. Just be careful not to bend the roots, pinch out bits from between them and as you remove it the rest will get looser.

With mine I was replacing it with bark so when I had finished I washed the roots to remove the last traces sticking to the roots. If you are going to put it back in some of the moss there is no need to do that.

Thanks for that!! I'll try be careful with it and remove some of the moss so it isn't so compact. Thanks for everyone's advice, it's really helped

[Undergrounder]

Originally Posted by luellaorchid

So should I just soak the entire bottom bit of the plant, as in, the moss and the roots and everything, then carefully remove some of the moss, and then just leave it? Won't it be quite wet then? Sorry once again for being clueless!

Yes, it will be too wet if you do it that way. Just put in enough water to dampen the moss, not get it wet.

You know how when you wring out a sopping wet towel and all the excess water drips away and you're left with a damp towel? That's how to keep the sphagnum. Damp. You keep it damp by only putting in a short burst of water from the tap, or half a dozen sprays from a mister bottle straight into the moss without a whole lot dripping out the bottom.

When it's damp, it's springy and airy and leads to the lovely roots yours has.

If you insist on over-watering and pouring a stream of water from the tap until everything's sopping wet, then yes you'll want to take out moss and get better drainage and the whole nine yards.

Watering by soaking and then drying is not nearly as healthy for your orchid as keeping the media slightly and evenly damp constantly.

Frequency of Watering and the Growth of Phalaenopsis

Is it possible for me to remove some moss without soaking it if I'm careful, or am I in danger of damaging the roots?

You won't need to remove any moss at all until you repot it if you don't plan on over-watering it to begin with.

[luellaorchid]

Originally Posted by Undergrounder

You know how when you wring out a sopping wet towel and all the excess water drips away and you're left with a damp towel? That's how to keep the sphagnum. Damp.

When it's damp, it's springy and airy and leads to the lovely roots yours has.

Thanks for that analogy, I see what I need to aim for now! I did remove a little of the moss since there was loads there but not much, and I'll aim to keep it damp.