Phrag. Grande

[Epiphyteme]

Recently picked up a phrag grande from a local nursery , after getting it home and letting it do its thing a few days ( there’s a fan in the room for circulation and the window is open part of the day ) there is a little white fuzzy mold growing on the surface of the “soil” which is mushy ass spag at this point .... it has two small new growths looking healthy at the base. Pretty new to phrags I’m not of fan of the condition of the potting medium though , so my question is when would be an appropriate period for reporting , and would something like firbark a small amount of spag mixed in with something like sponge rock or lava mixed in ? Or is there a more preferreable mix?

Thanks in advance !

[Roberta]

I suggest repotting... you can repot a Phrag any time (new growth is great sign, but even in its absence it'll appreciate it) I'd suggest small bark, you can mix in a bit of sphag if you have trouble keeping up with watering. They also benefit from sitting in a saucer with some water. I put about an inch (2.5 cm) of rock at the bottom of the pot, so that the roots are just above the water in the saucer. If they grow down into the water, that's their choice but let them choose the wet feet on their own. But these like to stay a lot wetter than most orchids - which means that the mix breaks down faster, and so they need repotting pretty frequently, like once a year.