Is this discounted mini Phal healthy?

[No-Pro-mwa]

You could probably go either way as when it stops blooming it will probably start new growth. I'm like RandomGemini and am lazy so I don't always hurry to re-pot.

I have 4 of these...oh and I wanted to say good going for $1.75 and you got 2 plants in one wow.

So 2 I have re-potted and they are both blooming again. One on the old spike plus a new one and the other with 2 new ones. But it did drop 3 buds because I let it dry out to much.

I got 3 inch plastic orchid pot from kellys korner and put them in small bark mix with from there and I had to water them about every day. I am now down to about every other day.

Another thing I do is take a knife and cut slits in those pots there in to let more air in.

The one I got last Sept is still in that pot, still blooming on the same spike and has another spike it grew that will open in a few weeks.

The last one I got I have only had about a month, and it is still in it's same pot.

Like Random I am having good luck with these but I also let the moss get dry before I water them.

Some pics of roots in old pot and in new. These are all the same plant, the blooms are on the old spike and now the new one has 5 buds open. I wish I had taken a more recent one of it before I uploaded this morning.

[RandomGemini]

I think people tend to fuss with mini phals too much, that's why they don't have much success with them. Maybe they're perfect for folks like us, who don't want to dote on their plants?

[No-Pro-mwa]

Well I don't know I only know I so far have had some of my best luck with mini phals and my 2 species phals. I did like I said have to start watering those 2 minis I did re-pot every day. So they were taking a bit of work and I had to tell my sister and mother to do there's every day or 2.

There's are also re-blooming. I'm thinking when I do re-pot my other 2 that I might mix in a bit more spag moss into the mix I have. It does have a little in it but it sure does dry out fast. At least in our environment.

But that one......and I think you have one just like it, the one I got in Sept that is still blooming on the same spike. That thing is pushing up from the bottom of it's pot with it's roots. It's happy, I'm happy and I am not sure when I will re-pot It just opened another bud and the new spike has not even started.

Sure would hate to make it stop.

[RandomGemini]

Yes, I remember which one. Mine is putting up a new spike right now and I think the old spike will throw out another bud or two. I'm in the same boat with it. It needs repotting, but I don't want to mess with a good thing, so I'll wait.

For the bark, I have found that the best thing to do to get it to open up and retain moisture is to put on the tea kettle the night before you repot. Put the amount of bark you will need in a bowl in the sink and then pour the boiling water over the bark and let it cool/soak overnight. Then repot the following day.