Roots keep rotting!

[NadPhal]

The pot might be too big for the amount of roots that my Phal has presently. But I tried to fit it in snugly by putting an inverted pot in the middle. I also heard that this might help with the air circulation?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Yes it does.

You could also solve the problem by putting styrofoam peanuts.

[NadPhal]

If I made the pot more snugly by putting in the inverted pot does it still matter that the pot is a bit too big?

[tucker85]

Will the roots fit in the small pot, the one you're putting inside? If not you can do like you said and put it in up-side-down. What you're trying to accomplish is to decrease the volume of medium so that the roots will absorb any moisture in the medium and not leave any dead space that stays moist all the time and promotes rot.

[orchidsarefun]

hmm......didn't realise that the phal was in sphag. I thought it was in a bark mixture. It adds another wrinkle in that you have to learn when to water by lifting the pot and judging whether heavy or not. My sphag potted phals are only watered when "light", so that isn't necessarily once per week. My phal in a 6inch pot of sphagnum is roughly watered every 2 weeks.
I would recommend you potting into a bark mix if you don't want to be hassled with watering as above.

[NadPhal]

Thanx for all the info.
Here are some pics of my first Phal. It stopped blooming about a week ago. Its roots are in great condition but I noticed something strange with its leaves.
I don’t know if it’s clear in the pictures but it’s like the sides of the leaves are drying out???

[james mickelso]

This orchid can be repotted again if you don't mess with the roots. Bury the orchid up past the small new roots growing from the side. Also where do you live? Makes a difference to how I would tell you to pot it and when to water. All the answers here are good but winter will arrive in a few months and so I would plan accordingly. Pictures help a lot. Pot size, media, light environment, ect.

[NadPhal]

I am from South Africa, the Bushveld region. The winter is almost done here. 1 September it will be Spring.

I am guessing I will have to remove some leaves if I am to cover the Phal up to the new roots.

My Phal sits in the window with no direct sunlight. It’s planted in mos. Currently the temp during the day is 22-24 ̊C, not sure what it is in F.

[violetta]

I agree with the things the other posters said.
If I were you, I'd repot the phal in a small clear pot, just to fit the roots, and put only bark or coconut husk. Water whenever the mix is dry.
Sphag retains way too much moisture and can easily kill the remaining few roots.

[james mickelso]

If it is currently planted in moss, I would just leave it there for now. Just make sure you don't water it until it is nearly dry one the inside. The way I tell is to feel how heavy the pot is when wet and then when it is dry. This way you can tell how dry it is. Another way is to put a wooden skewer into the middle of the moss and when you pull it out you can see how dry it is. It is the center of the moss under the plant that is the problem. It takes a long time to dry and as long as it is wet there is a chance of starting rot. Some folks are good with moss and some aren't. I don't like it but WynnDee is going to teach me how. And now that it is going to start warming up where you live, that will make a big difference. Phals like it warm. If you want to, you can take the phal out of the pot, and slowly, carefully loosen the moss underneath the middle of the plant. The roots don't need to be in contact with the moss. Normally plants need to have their roots contacting the potting media. Not so with orchids. In fact the less contact the better. Water when dry, and then leave it alone. Good luck. Keep us informed.