Orchids in "water-minder" pot + my 3 new orchids

[BobInBonita]

You are right in repotting new purchases made from big box stores.

The local Lowes almost always receives orchids over-potted with sphagnum. Really tightly packed. I think the grower does it because many retailers don't water often. They pack the sphag up onto the lower part of the pseudobulb. After buying a few that had serious rot issues I always check before I leave the store. You can always tell when I've been to Lowes - there are little piles of sphag that I've pulled out to check the condition before buying.