Just repotted my Phal but want a clear pot for better viewability of roots

[Blue_Morphae]

I just repotted my Phalaenopsis last night after it's final bloom dropped but, have read that having a clear pot is advantageous is viewing the roots for health and new growth.

Would it be alright if I went ahead and just moved it from the small white container I have it in to a clear pot? I don't want to go through the whole process of repotting, i.e. new medium, rinsing, packing, etc. I simply want to move it with the medium it has into a clear one.

[val_and_graham]

If I read your post correctly, you repotted it to a white pot very recently, but have since read that most advise a clear pot?
You also mention that you dont want to do a full compost refresh. Is this because you did refresh it when you potted it into the white pot?

[Blue_Morphae]

Val and Graham,

Yes, I just repotted my orchid last night with 90% of my bark mix and about 10% of the moss that it had been in since I purchased it. I decided to keep some moss for the water retention because I live in the desert and moisture is low.

What I want to do is get a small clear plastic container and just transfer the medium and the plant to it. Would this be okay for my orchid?

[Jennyfleur]

Hello Blue Morphae, in my heart of hearts, I'd suggest that a change of moss would be beneficial as well (even if it is retained in small amounts from the original potting) as you don't know how long the original moss has been there. Having said that, with respect to your other question, I have repotted one particular Phal of mine 3 times in 2 weeks as I searched for the right pot for it (it was rescued and I couldn't get anything for the garden centre... long story!). It didn't seem to suffer at all from the experience and has continued to flower nicely

[RosieC]

In the past I've repotted a Phal, then repotted again within a week because I was not happy with how it was sitting or with the pot size. I don't think that should be a problem.

I think Jennyfleur has a good point about the moss. If it's old then as it breaks down it may not be good for the roots. If you are able to wait a bit and get fresh moss and mix that with your bark then it may be better in the long run.

[camille1585]

I agree, you might want to change the sphag as well, unless it looks really fresh. Sphag has a lifespan of about a year, so if the stuff you reused is already a bit old, then it's going to sour by the time you repot again in 2-3 years time. Then again you're only using 10% sphag, so souring sphag may not be a huge huge issue. As you can probably tell, I really don't know!

About transfering to the clear pot, just go ahead and chuck the plant in it with the medium it has. No need to change the medium again or soak it again.

[Connie Star]

I've re-potted a few days after re-potting a couple of times, without changing the medium the second time. I think if the plant hasn't yet "settled in" to it's pot by growing up to the edge and the medium is still very fresh, it shouldn't matter.
Just my