Given young new Phal. free with purchase

[RandomGemini]

Ah! Very cute and definitely a baby!

[james mickelso]

As I've said, these are grown very warm and humid. It is most likely in rock wool if it isn't sphagnum moss. If you are going to repot then do it with tweezers like my photo montage and then repot into something with some air movement like small bark/sponge rock. If it is dry where you are add a little sphagnum moss. Let it get just damp, almost dry, then water again with good clean water.

[lotis146]

Thanks everyone! (As always!)

Originally Posted by james mickelso

As I've said, these are grown very warm and humid. It is most likely in rock wool if it isn't sphagnum moss. If you are going to repot then do it with tweezers like my photo montage and then repot into something with some air movement like small bark/sponge rock. If it is dry where you are add a little sphagnum moss. Let it get just damp, almost dry, then water again with good clean water.

What about Coconut choir? I also have clay pebbles but I would have planned to go with the coconut. Now I understand that air roots like to be air roots but in the case of little babes like this I would think the two long roots (which are cracked and mostly broken in several places btw) should be potted IN the medium?? I just assumed potting it larger is the way to go, maybe just up to a couple of inch diameter pot?

This weekend I'll set aside some time for research for all these matters.

Thank you & Cheers to you all!
Lotis

[james mickelso]

My mantra is "water the roots. Not the media." These long roots look fine. The cracks you see on them are just cracks in the velamen which is the spongy covering on the actual roots which are very tough. Just try and pull or break the thin wirey thread inside the root. Very difficult even when green and growing. . These have nice greenish bronze tips which mean they are alive and growing. Repot this phal into a 4 inch pot with coir. That's fine. As long as there is adequate air flow through the media to keep the roots from rotting. I wouldn't wind these long roots up and stuff them into the pot. I leave my long roots hang out of the pot. I even cut them off if there are enough viable roots to keep the plant hydrated. Phals grow excess roots in which they store water and food. Cutting a few has little effect on the plant. I would leave the long roots alone and just let the phal do what it wants with them.

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

My mantra is "water the roots. Not the media." These long roots look fine. The cracks you see on them are just cracks in the velamen which is the spongy covering on the actual roots which are very tough. Just try and pull or break the thin wirey thread inside the root. Very difficult even when green and growing. . These have nice greenish bronze tips which mean they are alive and growing. Repot this phal into a 4 inch pot with coir. That's fine. As long as there is adequate air flow through the media to keep the roots from rotting. I wouldn't wind these long roots up and stuff them into the pot. I leave my long roots hang out of the pot. I even cut them off if there are enough viable roots to keep the plant hydrated. Phals grow excess roots in which they store water and food. Cutting a few has little effect on the plant. I would leave the long roots alone and just let the phal do what it wants with them.

Excellent information, thank you!

Have you thought about writing a book? Maybe you have... ... ...

I can't help but ask then because that seems like a big jump from this teeny tiny child's toy like pot () to a 4" (which I'm all for plants in bigger pots but know Orchids don't always like that), with bigger plants is it better not to make such big jumps?

I ask because I just repotted a blooming Phal (dyed & from big box store, the one I posted about having springtails). When I removed it from what I believe is a 4" plastic pot there was bark and dirt (?) most likely the bark broken down but seemed like a huge root system. So I got a plastic pot, maybe maybe 5" but taller and drilled lots of big and small holes in it. I can't help but think I should go ahead and put it in something bigger still. Then again I keep hearing that they like smaller pots. So like I asked, with "adult" plants would you got 3 to 5 or 4 to 6 or more?

Thanks James.

[james mickelso]

Orchids grow on trees and tree limbs. We pot them because it is easier to care for them this way. the orchid doesn't care. It doesn't need any larger a pot than that which enables us to care for it. Too large a pot and the water stays in the pot and makes the perfect environment for disease. Fungus love moist environments. So the logic is to pot them in as small a pot into which we can fit those roots. Just pot for those roots that are now inside the pot with just a little bit more room and don't be concerned with those two long roots.