Should I repot a mail-order phal in bloom?

[Mountaineer370]

Any of you who have read my posts know I'm a newbie, having only gotten my first orchid a couple years ago. I've read conflicting information on this topic. I've tried a search on the forum, but without reading hundreds of posts, I'm having a hard time finding an answer to this specific question. So please forgive me if this has been covered many times before!

I recently got brave and ordered my very first plant by mail. It's from a well-known and well-respected vendor who is a member of this board, and I am very happy with the experience so far. It is a Phal. Liu's Berry, which is a compact. It has two spikes, is in bloom, and has a few unopened buds, one of which has blasted, but I'm hopeful for the others. The plant itself looks very happy and healthy.

It is in a three-inch or so pot, the clear, very soft plastic, with just one drain hole at the bottom, which I am sure is not meant to be any type of permanent container. It appears to be in tight moss. It has quite a few air roots, but I am unable to see any of the roots in the pot.

I would like to get it into a better draining pot and enable it to get more air flow around the roots. Should I repot it now or wait until it's done blooming? I'm afraid the flowers could last a long time, and that it may be bad for the roots to leave it in its shipping pot for that long.

What do you guys typically do when you receive a plant in the mail like this?

[Subrosa]

I transitioned my Sweet Memory to semi-hydroponic culture the day it arrived in bud ready to pop. That bloom went off without a hitch and the next one just opened about a week ago. Not a problem if you really feel you need to.

[jkofferdahl]

I've grown many plants in the same pot and sphagnum, but it can be a bit tricky to judge watering. If you repot it, so so in bark. You can't hurt a Phal by repotting it in bloom.

[AnonYMouse]

If I'm feeling particularly lazy, I'll just peek in the moss. If the roots look good, I pop the whole thing in a net pot (which is what I eventually do).

[Dollythehun]

I make it a habit to repot as soon as I bring the plant home. I recently ordered a miniature that was in a clear plastic pot, as you describe. I replaced the moss with fine bark, and used the same clear pot, so I could watch the roots and it has been fine.

[Mountaineer370]

Thanks everybody! I did go ahead and put it in a pot that was an inch or so bigger in diameter. Clear plastic, but the firmer type, not like the soft one it was in. Put it in medium bark, which is what my other phals are in.

(Ree, I thought about what you suggested, just putting the whole thing into a net pot, which would certainly provide more air movement, but I don't have one of those handy and there's no place around here to buy them.)

I think I did the right thing, as the moss was packed pretty tightly and there was just no way to get a look at what was down inside. It was still pretty wet in there. So far, I don't have anything else in moss, and I don't trust myself to know when that type of medium needs watering.

The roots were in pretty good shape, but there were a few that had to be cut off. That brings up another question. Some of them were damaged partway up, to the point where touching them caused that velamen to just slide right off, leaving the tough, stringy center, but the part above that still seemed firm and green. (Please forgive my incorrect terminology -- I'm still learning!) So when a root gets damaged, does that always mean the entire root will die, or can they heal at the damaged end and still be viable?

[Dollythehun]

I'm not going to address your root question. I am going to suggest that you get an attractive tote bin and start stockpiling supplies. Different barks, labels, hangers, pots, etc. When you see something, pick it up and put it in the bin. Even when you don't need it, you might next week. I can't tell you how often I have been glad for my stash. I buy from repotme and find my clay pots at JoAnne and Lowe's among other places. I think you should leave the little inside strings as they help.hold the plant. I am not sure about regeneration and I hate appearing stupid.😁

[Mountaineer370]

Oh, yes, I totally agree about starting to assemble a stash of orchid supplies! I have a few things, but not nearly enough. I guess I'm a little hesitant only because I know my collection of orchids will have to stay quite small, and at this point, I'm also wondering if I'm going to actually have any success with the ones I have. So that's fair warning to all of you that you can expect more newbie questions to be coming along soon!

[Dollythehun]

They have put up with me.. they will certainly put up with you! Just try to match the plants to your conditions and not visa versa and you will be fine!

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

The roots were in pretty good shape, but there were a few that had to be cut off. That brings up another question. Some of them were damaged partway up, to the point where touching them caused that velamen to just slide right off, leaving the tough, stringy center, but the part above that still seemed firm and green. (Please forgive my incorrect terminology -- I'm still learning!) So when a root gets damaged, does that always mean the entire root will die, or can they heal at the damaged end and still be viable?

The roots were damaged by root rot, which most often occurs when plants are overwatered. It's easy to overwater in those clear plastic pots filled with sphagnum. Roots which have rotted to where the velamin slips off the root itself are pretty much done from that point, but above where the damage occurred they can grow back. Same with when you clip them back; where there is still healthy root the plant will try to find a way to utilize that root, and it may develop a new shoot. You can even get multiple new shoots from a broken/died back root. A key to getting them to do this is to be a bit stingy with water for a while, which forces the roots to grow in an attempt to find more water.