What to do with this mess
 

I got a tall pot for the "neck" this phal has grown, but I cant get the roots apart. Most everything looks green but I want to get the old sphag out of the center. Should I leave it as is and repot or keep soaking (already soaked 1 hour) and try to pull it apart. Notice the big kieki? I cut 1 off already, should have took the pic's first. Please HELP

By the way this is Phal. Salu Spot x Brother Lawrence

I say pick out the sphag with your finger tips little by little until the ball loosens... that's what I've done in the past

chop sticks are helpful for getting the packed moss from the center

Pointed wooden skewers work even better!

CL

Make sure the roots and the sphag are wet.

Tweezers work well
 

I found tweezers to work really well to pull out sphag from the compacted roots.

Shirley

Yeah, keep soaking and trying to pick out the moss. Use tweezers, chopsticks, wooden skerwers, anything that helps really.

Moss is really bad to leave rotting in the center so you really want to get it all out. You will find that once you get some out it will get easier.

I would also advise that when you repot you can take the medium up to the base of the leaves and cover that 'neck' portion. As you can see roots are already growing from higher up.

I've seen one website saying you can cut off the base in cases like this as long as there are enough roots left at the top. I've never tried it though so can't say if it's good advise or not.

Thanks gang, all good advice. I soaked some more, used chopsticks, fingers and lots of water. Once I got a small area apart I was able to get all the moss out, little by little. I repotted in a tall pot to accomodate the long "neck" and used mostly bark.

Looks like it's growing a basal Keiki too. :)