Out of Control Phalaenopsis - aerial roots

[BoomerM3]

My Phalaenopsis is doing very well. Each year it has one or two flower spikes. I repotted last spring and discovered the “root stem” is so long and curved I could not fit it in a pot. So, this is what it currently looks like: overwhelmed with aerial roots, bent over, crawling out of the pot. But otherwise healthy.

It will bloom next month. The plant lives outside (screened porch in SW Florida).

Is it possible to get this plant back to normal – like in the pot, growing vertically. What to do?

(2 pics attached)

[rbarata]

Do nothing, i.e., therw's nothing you can do. The plant is in control of the situation.

[Orchidtinkerer]

a bigger pot would solve the problem but it isn't really a problem unless you don't like the look.
Since it has so many roots it wouldn't hurt to cut off a little of the stem at the bottom but that is entirely optional and not really recommended but this plant looks very strong so wouldn't do any harm if you wanted to trim it to fit a bit better - your choice.

If you do trim it, use sterilized tools and let the cut dry for 24 hours before re-potting it to air-dry the cut to stop it getting infected once potted again

[DeaC]

I've seen folks tie them to palm trees and they seem to do wonderfully. But you probably already know that.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by BoomerM3

Is it possible to get this plant back to normal – like in the pot, growing vertically. What to do?

First, Welcome! To me, that plant looks "normal" and VERY happy. If you want to put it in a larger pot with large bark so that those air roots still get lots of air, you can. But it's doing so well... my first thought is " Not broken, nothing to fix." "Vertical" maybe aesthetic, but what it's doing is actually very normal for a Phal with good warmth and high humidity. Those of us in dry climates need to use pots to get them enough moisture, I love seeing one run wild...

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board! Remember having roots exposed on a tree or branch is normal for them... being in a pot is not normal!

[DirtyCoconuts]

That looks dead sexy to me!

[aliceinwl]

I agree, let it do its thing or buy a bigger pot. I have a few office Phalaenopsis that I need to keep somewhat contained so I bought big clear pots (they were too big for the largest clear plastic slotted pots I could find), melted ventilation holes in the sides, soaked the roots, and carefully twisted them in. They didn’t miss a beat. If you were to trim the roots currently in the pot, the plant would likely experience a set back.

[ChrisMalaga]

I understand your concern! I'm also someone who likes to control the growth of his plants so they look "tidy", I'm overwhelmed sometimes by how some Oncidiums climb out of the pots and feel helpless...
In this case I think it's a bit late to put it in a common pot, unless it's big pot, maybe you can grow it inside an empty huge pot? Something like a terracotta urn shaped or amphora shaped pot? You could wet the roots and see if they can bend a bit. Just my personal taste, the plant looks fine!

[SouthPark]

I think the orchid is just doing what it naturally is meant to do.

Yes - absolutely - if there is enough space there ----- you could put it in a relatively large diameter pot and just let it grow.

Otherwise - since the roots appear to be supported by the environment - and they're staying in nice shape - it's also possible to just leave the orchid as-is, and it will just keep growing.