Only those of us that have seen those huge mounds of cleared, dirty snow would ask that. : . I just collect bins from the back yard, bring them in (bathtub) and let them thaw.
Haha! Yep. I've seen that snow alright. I've seen way too much of it.
There are some cleaner parks around here where I could try scooping up some clean looking snow. Sounds fun. I'm sure everybody would think I was really weird, but hey, I don't mind.
Some of the bark chips on my pots have that white stuff, which is salt builup. I haven't found it harmful in anyway.
The rest of your photos, I'm not really sure what you are focusing on, but I assume the uneven surface texture?
I see that on the phal roots when the roots that once were attached to something have been detached from whatever they were attached to.
Nothing to be worried about.
I agree it looks like salt buildup on the bark. I always flush new plants these days on their first watering because I don't know how much they have been fertilised by the vendor.
The roots look fine to me, nothing to worry about there.
I'm new here, and would like to read about the section you mentioned " the phal abuse stops here " section. But can't find it
If you go to Forums > Beginner Discussion, it should be the very first thread at the top of the page. It's a sticky so it's above all of these ones. =) It's a 50 some odd page thread, so you will need some time (I read it in like 4 days on and off), but it's worth the read.