Mini phal in moss

[harrefr]

Hey everyone. I am new to the forum and relatively new to raising orchids…bought my first phal around a year ago. I have a few mini phals that are in flower and it doesn’t look like they are going to stop anytime soon with new buds appearing. My question is, should I repot these grocery store orchids in a better medium than the tightly packed moss and plug that they are in now?

Thanks for the advice!

[estación seca]

Tightly packed moss is fine for Phals., if you water properly and the temperatures aren't too low. Water them the way I mentioned in your mini Catt. thread. Phals. tend to use less water than Catts. of the same size, so the watering interval may be longer.

[harrefr]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Tightly packed moss is fine for Phals., if you water properly and the temperatures aren't too low. Water them the way I mentioned in your mini Catt. thread. Phals. tend to use less water than Catts. of the same size, so the watering interval may be longer.

Well hello again! I have noticed a bit of a difference in water usage between the phals and the catt. Good to know it’s not just me! Thanks again for the advice!

[tmoney]

howdy, and welcome to the ob! we are relatively new growers as well, but in our apartment we have lost every phal that we tried to grow in the compact moss. we just can't figure it out. the plants look fine for probly 6months to a year, but in that time the roots just slowly die and then it turns into a recovery plant for a couple years or we just throw it away.

many people are able to grow in moss.... they can figure out the watering. we can't. therefore, my opinion is to repot the phals into a more airy medium. but again, if your conditions make moss growing easy and you have figured out how to water them, then don't mess with anything!

[estación seca]

tmoney, I think your house may be too cold in winter to grow in moss.

[Kittyfrex]

Originally Posted by tmoney

howdy, and welcome to the ob! we are relatively new growers as well, but in our apartment we have lost every phal that we tried to grow in the compact moss. we just can't figure it out. the plants look fine for probly 6months to a year, but in that time the roots just slowly die and then it turns into a recovery plant for a couple years or we just throw it away.

many people are able to grow in moss.... they can figure out the watering. we can't. therefore, my opinion is to repot the phals into a more airy medium. but again, if your conditions make moss growing easy and you have figured out how to water them, then don't mess with anything!

Moss is good...but not for everyone. I could turn my moss into a brick and it would still dry out rather fast, but if i lived further north, i wouldn't even use it, opting for 50/50 on bark and moss or just pure bark. And just leave the moss fluffy, it should dry out completley before waterings if you have issues keeping roots alive.

[harrefr]

My concern is the moss is so dense and tightly packed…and green. But it doesn’t smell bad. Can the roots that are growing inside survive? if there are any? There are lots of roots outside the moss that are green and appear to be happy other than being stuck to each other and to the moss ball. And the orchids are flowering, though forced by the grower, which makes me hesitant to mess with them. I just don’t like the setup, that’s all. If it weren’t so tightly packed I’d be ok with the moss.

[Kittyfrex]

Originally Posted by harrefr

My concern is the moss is so dense and tightly packed…and green. But it doesn’t smell bad. Can the roots that are growing inside survive? if there are any? There are lots of roots outside the moss that are green and appear to be happy other than being stuck to each other and to the moss ball. And the orchids are flowering, though forced by the grower, which makes me hesitant to mess with them. I just don’t like the setup, that’s all. If it weren’t so tightly packed I’d be ok with the moss.

Green could be alge/cyanobacteria. Is it a clear pot, and if so, do you have a decorative pot to put it in?
If you intend to repot, wait till flowers fade. It's not that you can't do it straight away, but repotting with a tall spike can be awekward as hell, especially considering some of my phals have spikes with flowers heavier than the entre pot with the plant.

[harrefr]

Originally Posted by Kittyfrex

Green could be alge/cyanobacteria. Is it a clear pot, and if so, do you have a decorative pot to put it in?
If you intend to repot, wait till flowers fade. It's not that you can't do it straight away, but repotting with a tall spike can be awekward as hell, especially considering some of my phals have spikes with flowers heavier than the entre pot with the plant.

They are mini orchids with a spike of blooms and buds. When I bought them, they were in a very small and tight plastic pot with no holes, so I took them out and placed them as-is inside a slightly larger clear plastic pot inside of a decorative container. I don’t want to lose any flowers, but at the same time I don’t want to lose the entire plant if there are rotten roots inside the moss that I can’t see.

[estación seca]

If the plant is flowering the roots are fine.if you water as I described they will remain healthy.