Mass Phalaenopsis Root Rot Situation?

[jje10001]

I ended up transferring a significant number of the grocery store phals to a leca-charcoal mix for the time being to promote proper airflow and weekly drying.

One of the largely unaffected phals had some exposed roots poking through the bottom of the pot that occasionally sat in a bit of water in the cloche pot, and I noticed that those roots were later affected by the rot as well- but once I cut those roots off & raised the container above the pot base on some styrofoam, the rot went away. It's strange as I had many phals with 'wet feet' for months without issue, up until now. It's unfortunate, I feel like my phals liked the extra moisture and rewarded me with lots of growth and new roots even into the bottom of the pot.

I am wondering about one thing though- for many of the affected phals, I soaked orchiata beforehand in hot water to open the bark's pores, but at the same time I do hear that it's advised to avoid washing/wetting orchiata beforehand since it has a dolomite application to buffer the ph. I wonder if this action might have 1.) Made the orchiata too water-retentive given my watering schedule and 2.) Removed some of the ph buffering, making it acidify much more quickly in an environment of near-constant moisture? Some food for thought for me.