Should I repot my new phal?

[lkat]

I bought a phal the other day in the grocery store and it is a small little thing in a 4 inch pot with sphagnum moss. Most of the moss is yellow. The plant and moss are packed in there so tight that I can't get it out - I think I will have to cut the pot. Anyways, it is in full bloom so my question is should I repot it, or leave it until the blooms have fallen off? I can see some roots in the bottom of the pot and they look good - silvery green.

Also, if I leave it in the moss for a while how often should I water it and how much? My other two phals are in bark and I just run them under the tap for 30 seconds once a week, but I don't think that will work for moss Thanks!

[tarev]

I have learned to repot newly bought Phals in bloom or not since I do not like to grow them in sphag moss. It helps me inspect the condition of the roots below and if there are some hidden hitchhikers there.

I made the mistake before of keeping one in its container and moss, afraid to repot due to the existing blooms, but the blooms lasted for months..by the time I got to repot, the roots were in such bad condition. It is just so hard to gauge the center part if it is still wet or dry with sphag moss, plus the sellers pack them in so tight. So I learned from then on to repot.

Now if you intend to continue keeping it in the original moss set-up, use a bamboo skewer to check the middle part if it is still wet. Top part dries fast, but middle part holds a bit longer. Compare the weight of the container before and after watering, so you have some idea what it feels with the moss wet, since it becomes heavier and lighter as the moss dries out. There will be greater interval in watering with sphag moss as media.

But you will do the roots a big favor to release them from the very tight packing of sphag moss. Those thick roots wants to get good air circulation.

[bil]

I automatically repot everything I buy. Better to risk losing a bloom than the whole plant.

I have had to cut the pot of cymbidiums to reveal a solid plug of roots, found Catts with all the rootrs dead and compacted in solid dead moss, dendrobiums and oncidiums with roots like wood wool, dead and dry....

[Orchidgirl83]

I agree go on and repot it. Phals, in my experience seem to not mind being repotted while in bloom.

[lkat]

Is there a way I can make the repotting easier for the phal? I repotted my other two and both of them are doing okay but not great - one has droopy leaves with weird spots and the other one the buds stopped blooming and a few fell off. I repotted them from moss to bark as soon as I got them and now water them once per week, minimal direct sunlight and temp around 20 degrees.

Also I have the new one in an east facing window that is a tiny bit cool - I think a bit of air comes in from the window. I was wondering if I should move it or it will be okay?

[Orchidgirl83]

I have found that if I add some moss to the bark that it helps ease the transition.
You may want to move it if a cold draft is coming in.
Since you said you only water them for about 30 seconds you may be under watering them, especially if the bark mix is new.

[tarev]

It is normal for the plant to drop some buds during repot, anytime you disturb the roots, it will again adjust to its set-up. Moving it from the nursery, to the store, to your home is a big change for it, so the plant needs to acclimate again.

I usually dunk the root zone the first few weeks..it takes awhile for bark media to be moisture retentive.

If it is still too cold outside, that cold draft from the window is not good for your plant, so move it somewhere else.

[snowflake311]

I always re-pot but I wait at least a week after getting the plant. If it is doing well after a week I repot it and have yet to have bud blast.

I had a Phal in a tiny clear pot with lots of moss. It was so tight I had to cut it free and went up 3 sizes. It had an amazing root system smashed in that tiny pot.

Like everyone said New bark will not hold in moisture much. So after you repot you might have to water them most often. once the bark starts to hold the water you can water as normal.

I too like to mix moss with bark. It's a good thing I think.

You say it is in very compact moss. I would only water it maybe once a week or let it go 10 days. Compact moss takes a long time to dry out and causes rot easy. Less is best when you have compact moss. I would wait till the moss at the surface is Crispy before watering. So it really will depend on your climate.

[Dcchase]

It seems I'm of a different option to most of you about re-potting and sphagnum moss. I do not re-pot unless there is an obvious problem. I'm in SE CT and have used sphagnum moss exclusively for over a year and a half. I used to re-pot everything and them continue to mess with my orchids. Changing this and that, even when they looked great. So worried they weren't doing well. I can't tell you how many orchids I killed with this approch. Moss may not be for every orchid grower or for every geographic location but I believe if you learn how to pot with it properly, that means packing it very tightly. And also how to water. The top and bottom must feel dry. When you water add just enough to cover the top of the pot. Once a month or so flush out the pot. This may have you water once a week or once every 2-3 weeks. It depends on pot size, humidity and other factors. It may seem like a small amount of water, but it's enough. You may think that the roots are not getting enough air but the moss has thousands of tiny leaves that allows for air movement.
I have never had as many Phals, Paphs, oncidiums and Zygos reblooming as I have right now. My information is my version of what I've gleaned from Carri Raven, the originator and past president of the International Phal Alliance. But what works best is what works for you. If you water heavily this may not work. Good luck at finding what works best for you.

[silken]

I like to re-pot Phals too but what I often do if I really don't want to disturb it too much, is to gently pull out about half the moss so air can get to the roots. I may drop in some bark pieces in the spaces left by the moss or not, just depends. The trouble with re-potting directly into pure bark, is the roots are used to a wet closed environment and now they are in an open fairly dry environment. New bark does not retain much moisture. It is best as mentioned above to transition using some moss and bark or lava rock or whatever chunky media you have. All of my permanently re-potted Phals are in a mix of moss and bark. It is not real tight. They love clear pots with a good amount of holes so they can drain and breath. And you can see what is going on in the root zone. Try soaking your bark only Phal for 20 mins when you water. Don't get water in the crown and drain it well afterward.

The trouble with not doing something about the tight wad of moss until after the blooms is done, is that Phals can bloom for a long time. It may be too late if you wait for it to be done blooming.