First orchid (Phal)...good resources for beginners?

[Tyro]

Hi!

I was recently given a Phalaenopsis orchid, but I am a complete beginner and would like to learn more about growing them in general. Are there any suggestions to where I could start, perhaps books or websites? I've read parts of the "Phal abuse" sticky which was quite helpful, and I'm trying to learn the common terms.

I do have a few questions about my plant as well, that I was hoping someone could help me with. It is quite large, if I had to guess I would say the flower spike is about 18" long, and it has two branches, both with buds. Based on some reading I took the plant out of its pot and checked the root system which has mostly green but some reddish, whitish, and brownish ones too. It's currently in an opaque plastic pot about 5" in diameter but I'm looking to get a clear one soon. The bottom of the pot has some bark chips but the main root mass has moss in the center and moss around the outside (to fill up the pot). I have a few concerns:

-I'm not really sure what to do about watering. I've read that some people pour water on top and let it drip from the bottom, and others who soak the pot for some time and then let it drain. I'm confused because I would imagine that moss can soak up alot of water (and I don't want the roots to rot!) compared to bark.
-I've also read conflicting reports about how often to water the Phalaenopsis..some say to let it dry out before watering again, while others say to water again when it's almost dry (a little moist).
-The center root mass of the orchid looks to be embedded with tightly packed moss, which doesn't seem too great for the circulation. I have read that disturbing the root system in an orchid will cause bud blast and flowers to drop (there are many buds, and a few open flowers at the moment). Should I remove that moss anyway, and if I do, should I repot using bark or moss?

I appreciate any help!

[Bud]

Welcome and Hello !
You've come to the right place.
Its good to know your grow zone, the temperature and humidity...air flow of the room you put your plants in...what side window is it? south, east... west?

[camille1585]

Welcome Tyro!
What you have heard about watering is right, but it just depends on the growing conditions people have. Someone in a hot dry climate can get away with soaking a sphag potted Phal, but not people in cooler climates.

As for repotting, yes, buds can abort. But in practice I have rarely had that happen. There is actually more of a risk of snapping off buds or spike tips while repotting, then them dying from the shock. And if the plant's life is at stake, by all means, do repot! It's better to save the plant and risk the blooms, than the other way around. Tightly packed sphag is not good, it doesn't dry evenly, so roots are likely to rot. You can simply pot it up more loosely in sphag, or move it to bark.

And the best place for info is here! Post whatever questions you have, there's always someone that'll help you.

[Orchidaceae]

Camille is right - better to save the plant than to save the blooms. 2 months ago I had my Dtps shoot out 2 spikes, but the plant didn't seem happy - i allowed all spikes to flower (8 gorgeous flowers) but root rot caused premature wilting of flowers after just 2 weeks, and I almost killed it. I rescued it in time, and repotted it in sphag in teak basket. It's very happy now, and I suspect that I can coax it to rebloom from its previous stalk.

[Tyro]

Thank you all for the warm welcomes and responses!

I live in New York City but I feel like we have some bizarre climate here But summer is approaching very soon and it's probably going to get hot (maybe mid 80s to 100s) and humid. Bud, I see that you live in Manhattan and perhaps you can shed some perspective on the climate and your watering patterns?

The orchid is in a very large room but not much active air circulation, but I anticipate as it gets warmer the windows in the room will be open more often. There is a west window covered by a heavy curtain and a south window that has some textured glass (so maybe it doesn't let in as much light as a regular glass window?) but no curtain/shades. Is this too much light for the Phal? I could always just move it to the corner of the room where it'll get less light.

I will try to clean up the roots soon. Knowing that it'll be hot and humid within a month or so, what medium should I use to pot the orchid? The bark at the bottom and moss around the roots like in the present pot, or all moss, or all bark? Are there any advantages to using one over the other?

Thanks!

[james mickelso]

Tyro, where do you live? Most places have some sort of orchid club and I would think that has a wealth of information and social contacts that can be of immense help. And probably free plants to boot. Just go on the net and google local orchid clubs. That's not to say we won't do our best to give you all the help we can too. Just ask away.