Grocery store Orchid in pot w/o drainage
 

I've killed almost every orchid Ive ever purchased. Usually it's b/c I water them too much. About 18 months ago I bought one of those mini orchids that suggests watering with one ice cube each week. The roots are in a plastic cup with a hole in the bottom. That cup sits in a pot w/o any holes. Amazingly that little guy has gone thru 4-5 blooms w/o any issues.
Once again, I thought I'd try a larger orchid. This one didn't come in the typical plastic cup with peat moss, etc. This one came in a pot without any holes in it. The roots are packed with [the stuff that looks like brown wood chips] and that's it! It's hard to know when the plant is ready to be watered if I can't pull the cup out to check. W/o drainage holes there could be a puddle of water down there and I would never know it.
I was told not to repot the orchid right away when I got home. Does anyone agree with that in this case? In terms of watering- my best idea is to water the plant, and after a few minutes pour all the water out. Then repeat the pour until I'm sure no water is sitting at the bottom.
Orchids are really f**king expensive, even from the supermarket. I want to keep this one alive at least until it's second bloom. Does anyone suggest any tips? I was a bit shocked when I didn't see the roots in the plastic cup with peat moss. Don't orchid roots like to be somewhat compact?
Finally, the ice cube idea has never worked for me!

I'm an old fuddy-duddy who likes to learn about orchids. Please don't use the F word here.

You can repot a flowering Phalaenopsis with no effect on the flowers. I do it all the time.

Get a pot with excellent drainage. I prefer the terracotta kind, and recommend terracotta especially if you over-water. Use the smallest pot that will fit most of the roots. "Orchid bark" is a good medium that drains well. Lots of YouTube videos on how to repot a Phalaenopsis.

Watering is the key. The ice cube thing is a gimmick that can potentially damage the roots (too cold). Instead, run a lot of water through ONLY the bark. Let it drain, resolve to not water again until the bark is nearly dry to the touch. Water again, same way, drain and dry. Start out watering twice a week. You can adjust the frequency to water more or less often, but remember a healthy Phal gets a little dry at the roots.

Good luck!

After you water, notice the weight of the pot. When you notice the pot is lightweight, water throughly again. I ditto the bark and clay method, it is hard to over water. Trust me, most of us know how expensive orchids are! But, as you become more successful, you won't care.

I wait months for the grocery store orchids (all phals) to get really raggety...no blooms, and about to die because of the ice cubes.....when she puts them all on sale, usually for $5, I offer 2 bucks each for the lot of them....take them home, get them out of those cache pots with no drainage, and repot in the same little plastic sleeve...with bark....after 6 months or so, they come back into bloom, and I start handing them out as gifts! before giving them away, I put them into the same cache pot, but with a few corks in the bottom....great way to get people excited about orchids! good luck with yours, and learn to bargain shop!

I'm a true, dyed-in-the-wool liberal and I'm not overly fond of the word here, either. Let's please respect others in here.

Now, to the orchids. The ice-cube method is a form of orchid genocide. The company that sells orchids with these instructions is evil, with a goal of selling orchids to people to kill and then buy more.

Phalaenopsis orchids like their roots to have plenty of air circulation. In fact, if I had the proper conditions in my home (higher humidity) I would mount all of mine. When potting I often use terra cotta pots, like OW. I also use small plastic baskets, which dry even faster than terra cotta, making their use a kind of substitute for a mount. I'd agree with OW, though, and suggest terra cotta. Use large chunk orchid bark, which you should soak overnight before potting.

There are two good ways to judge when it's time to water. First, you can use the wooden skewer method: insert a food skewer into the pot and leave it for about 15 minutes, then pull it out. If you can feel any moisture on it then don't water yet. A second way is to simply get used to the weight of the plant and pot when dry, and simply judge by weight if the plant needs watering. Both methods work quite accurately.

These are good threads here on Orchid Board:

Using skewers to determine when to water

The Phal abuse ends here.

Thanks!
 

Thank you all for your help! I apologize for making reference to the f-word. With all the madness in our country right now, it's funny to think that an abbreviated version of a bad word is worthy of a response. On rare occasions the word is appropriate, and I think the price of orchids fits the bill. Sorry again!
Does anyone suggest putting a little moss on top of the roots that are growing out of the pot? There are lots circling the pot several times.

Don't cover the aereal roots, they are quite natural. Typically, aereal roots suffer when potted or covered, while potted roots struggle if they are outside of a pot. Just let them grow as they want to.

The reason for what's going on in the news has many reasons...One of them is the lack of civility...We care more of what we think than others feelings. Certainly, your apology is accepted.

Others will tell you no moss on top...However, I have two like that and they are fine. Just remember the bottom medium will not be dry when the top moss is. Take that into account when watering.

Also, small orchids cost less and you see the joy of growing them up.

---------- Post added at 11:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:43 AM ----------

There is a difference between circling the top inner pot and being in the air. If they are in the air Jkofferdahl is correct.

Just to know, there are 3000 or so species of "Orchid." The orchid you have is a Phalenopsis. Phals are given the branding that they are somehow an easy or beginner orchid. I pretty much killed every one of them I had at the beginning, for the same reason as you say, because of overwatering. After a lot of reading, I realized that phals, and cattleyas and many other types of orchids are really a lot like cactus, so I went and bought an inexpensive epiphitic cactus. Reason? When the Cactus gets watered, the Phals get watered.
It really helps to understand that these are "desert" plants, in that they are growing on trees, and touched by mist or rain a bit every day. But otherwise, they are "dry." This may take a while to soak in. I know I was about ready to quit for at least 2 years until I truly understood the meaning of the word desert plant. So, what happens to a cactus if it is soaking in a bucket of water? It quickly rots and dies. What happens to an orchid (other than Phrags, and some Bulbos and other hydrophilliac orchids) well, it rots and dies. If the roots are in the water, they rot and die, if the leaves are, they rot and die.

Watering them every day is not a problem. The problem is draining the water away from the root, which is what does not happen in an enclosed environment. If you have the Phal mounted, on a stick with no moss around it, you could water all day every day. In their wild state many epiphitic orchids are rained on or misted on at least part of the year.

When your orchid is in a flower pot, the time that it takes to dry out is your "clock" for when you should water. This will depend on your ambient environment, so no one, unless it is someone on your own street, can really give perfect instructions for "when to water." The skewer (or chop-stick) method is used a lot.

I would say take the plastic off. Phals in super markets usually come from Taiwan or China, and they need that plastic wrap type cup on them because they are in a shipping container and will not be watered in a while. The plastic keeps the roots from drying out. Chunky bark is best for Phals. Other orchids use small bark or other types of potting medium.

I like putting phals in a large shallow pot/bowl with large bark, sieved to remove all small particles. That way you can't overwater them.

I use a method similar to Bil's, employing baskets and large chunk bark. I find that my plants Phals potted this way dry almost as quickly as those mounted, so overwatering isn't a concern (though underwatering is). Additionally, I'm potted seedlings in tiny baskets, using sphagnum instead of bark, and the drying time is about the same as well. I'd be willing to bet that more Phals have died from overwatering than from everything else combined.

Last questions
 

One last thing. I rigged up a plastic container to serve as a pot for my orchid. The bottom has plenty of drainage holes. I filled it with special orchid potting soil which just looks like wood chips. The soil may hold a little bit of water, but very little. There's no way I can over-water this, the water runs right through it.
Are there any signs I should look out for if I'm over or under-watering it? Any other tips after looking at the new pot?

Nice job on the repot. So a good rule of thumb is if you roots are nice and green they are hydrated and don't need water. If you see them go grey or silver colored, it's time to water. I have several Phalenopsis like yours and have basically put it into the sink and poured water over the bark and let it run out. With your bark medium you will find you may have to water more often but hey it's better than over watering. Another key sign that your plant needs watering is the leaves. The leaves should be smooth and firm. If you noticed them looking floppy and wrinkled it may need to be watered again.

Good luck! I have had the opposite problem you have in that I live in the desert and I have killed many orchids because I was scared to overwater and they dried out and died!