My first mini Phal

[AuroraPhal]

I just bought my first mini Phal I have 3 Phals that are big and lovely, and since they are doing great, I decided to experiment a bit and buy this little miracle My 3 big Phals are in bark, but this mini one I bought in some kind of... moss? I guess. Not sure what it is, but I am scared that it will retain much water... Should I re-pot it in bark or leave it like this and just water it less frequently? Also, all comments and advice about mini Phals are welcome

[RandomGemini]

Is this one of the just add ice minis? If so, I've got several and I love them!!

What I do is leave them alone until the blooms drop and I see new root growth, then I repot in bark. Don't water it for a while. A week to ten days. Let the moss dry out all the way first. After that, water as you would a regular sized Phal. I fertilize weekly with one quarter strength nonurea fert. They are usually overwatered in the store. They usually go back into the same pot they came in, but if you need a slightly larger pot, you can cut some slots in a jello pudding cup and repot it in that.

Enjoy! You picked a cutie!

[LadySoren]

Don't water with ice tho. My first orchid is a mini from just add ice and, while they are great for getting people into Orchids, watering with ice is just a bad idea.

[No-Pro-mwa]

I have 3 of these 2 of which I have re-potted. I did get some clear pots from kelly's korner that are 3 inches across and have lots of slits in them.

Also something I did before I re-potted them is take a sharp knife and cut slits in those little pots that they are in making sure I didn't cut a root to get more air flow to the roots. Both of the ones I have re-potted are making spikes already and the one I haven't re-potted has another spike and is also growing more buds on the spike that is blooming now.

I love these also but have kept myself from getting anymore. If I find that dark purple one I saw when I got my last one all bets are off.

Oh and I almost forgot I did re-pot into bark mix that I got from the same place as the pots, it is a fine bark with some spag in it but not much. It also has perlite and charcoal in it. It is drying out fast and I am watering about every day or every other day but they are doing good.

[AuroraPhal]

Thanks for your kind answers! It is not Just Add Ice, I bought it in my local store. I will re-pot it in bar as soon as flowers drop.

[LJeziorska]

You had many helpful comments I have 5 minis orchids including phals , cattleyas and Dendrobium since it has flowers you will want to wait until they drop this is one mistake people do and it's repot while it has flowers roots looks a little over growth just water a little and not very frequent since moss retain a lot of water right after flowers drop change the medium ... Beautiful flowers and good luck ! Minis are always a must to have to our orchids collection


LJeziorska

[LadySoren]

Assumed it was just add ice brand because the minis at least usually come in those bendy pot things.

[RandomGemini]

I actually haven't had that experience with repotting phals that are in bloom.

I repot phals as soon as I get them home, because when I purchase them from grocery stores or hardware stores, you never know what is going on inside that pot. I almost always find roots that are half rotted in these phals, so the best thing for them, is to repot them ASAP.

The only exception I make to that, are these mini phals, like the one the original poster has. Those, I leave alone, because their roots are smaller and harder for me to separate from the moss that they come home in. I'm more likely to damage the roots while repotting the miniatures.

Now, for my oncidium and other varieties, I do leave them alone until the blooms are finished, then I cut the spike and repot if necessary. I just don't wait to repot my phals, because who knows what those retail store employees did to the poor things.

[Emerald27]

I also have a question regarding my first ever Mini Phal. It was potted in sphag moss when I got it and I waited until it dropped the blossoms it had when I purchased it, and then repotted it into a coco husk, lava rock, perlite mixture. I potted it directly into a ceramic pot (I regret not finding a little clear pot to put it in instead) but since repotting a large portion of the aerial as well as the top portion of buried roots have turned brown and wirey.

Is this normal? I'm scared that this medium was a bad choice for it. I want to eventually repot it into a clear pot and just put that into the ceramic pot, but I only repotted it the first time about a month or so ago so I'm worried if I repot again too soon it'll shock it. The leaves still look healthy and everything, and there are still 2 or 3 plump green aerial roots, but ALL visible roots were plump and green prior to repotting and now many of them are completely dried up.

Is my Phal just adjusting? Is this the wrong potting mix for it? Should I repot it back into sphag when I put it into a clear pot, or stick with the same medium? How soon could I safely repot into a clear pot? Any feedback would be helpful, thank you!