A little tutorial for the newbees here.

[james mickelso]

I view threads here from new orchid Owners (usually phals) and the common line is "repot as soon as you get it home." Many new orchid owners don't know how. Those of us who collect or grow more than a few think it is easy. And it is. To those of us who have killed a few or lucked out. So I wanted to show a basic how to repot your new phal so it doesn't die right away. So bear with me awhile and you to will see how easy it is. Ready????
Pic 1 is how it came to me. This phal is rootbound and packed in sphagnum moss. The secret to repotting this is to get a pair of tweezers, start at the bottom inside and slowly pull the moss out. Work from the bottom and the inside and slowly work your way up to the top and from the inside and out. It's the opposite of the way it was initially potted. These phals are all started in community pots and once they have two leaves they are transferred to individual plugs of tightly packed moss. So take your tweezers and start pulling out the moss. Take care not to damage the roots. Just don't pull a wad of moss out without looking to see if it is wrapped around a root. I tweeze out small pieces at a time. When you get the outside 1/2 inch off you'll see the original plug of moss. Keep at it. This plug usually doesn't have any roots as these have either rotted off or withered to nothing. All the roots will be wound around the outside 1/2 inch of moss. Once you have the moss off, get your pot ready. I put in a small piece of 1/4 inch wire mesh or plastic mesh. If repotting into moss, yes it is a good media, I put a wad of it in the bottom of the pot, and then place wads of moss into the root ball. Don't pack the moss into the root ball too tightly. Loose is the secret to moss. Once the roots have some moss inside the root mass, place the orchid into the pot. Now loosely place more moss around the root ball. I put small wads of moss into the pot and push it in a little. Do this around the whole pot. Once it is firmed up a little I water it. But if you did some damage to the roots, I would not water until the next day to let the plant heal it's roots. This is a simplified procedure and there are elements that may come into play but for the most part this is how you do it. I also posted a pic of my usual media I plant everything in. Hard fir bark, sponge rock, charcoal. Hope this is helpful.

[Picotee]

For newbies and also a terrific refresher course, James. Thanks!

[orion141]

Great post!

[swh265]

Thank you!!!!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'll add that wetting the potting media and the roots thoroughly makes it a lot easier to work with than going at it completely dry.

[judith_arquette]

LOVE the idea of using a bit of screen for the bottom (never would have thought of that!). Def b using this for reference! Thanks!

[james mickelso]

For smaller size screen you can buy the hook and loop plastic screen used to make small area rugs at yardage or material stores like Michaels.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You can get the smaller meshed screens at The Home Depot as well. It's all the way in the building materials section, close to where the lumber is.

[swh265]

Hello James, Thank you for all your great explanations. I am new to orchids and so far, you have been a lifesaver!!!!

I have a general question about when to repot. If a recently bought Phal is tightly packed in moss and there is visible root damage, should I let the moss fully dry out and allow it to assimilate into the new environment or repot right away. I would repot into bark + Coconut husk (my growing conditions tend to be dry)? Should I only do this when roots seems healthy?

In terms of aftercare, when is a good time to start watering and fertilizing? In general, I tend to over water my orchid. So I am nervous about repotting back in moss.

Thanks,
Sohan

[james mickelso]

Well if your growing conditions are on the dry side, repot into moss. The down side of moss is when it is packed into the pot. but it is a very good media if you pack it lightly. If you want to use bark, by all means do so. For a small (2 inch pot) I would use small size bark. For a 4 inch pot I would use 1/2 inch bark. The larger the bark the more you can water. If you use moss, which I do now quite a lot) all you need to do is water when the moss has dried out. If it is not packed into the pot tightly it temds to dry out fairly evenly. You can tell by the weight of the pot when it has dried. Phals can go without water for longer than most people think. I would repot right away if you have evidence of root rot already. There is no need not to. Just watch the presentation, remove the moss like I showed you, use whatever media works for you, and then water. Water whenever the pot becomes light or use the skewer method. Fertilize weekly, weakly. 1/2 strength every other watering or 1/4 strength every watering. Please let us know how you do.