About potting up 'miniature' orchids
 

I have recently gotten several 'mini' phals, and have some questions. These are in little clear pots, more like liners, and the medium is spag moss. I'm wondering why it seems all mini phals are always in moss. I know that they can't handle the large chunks of bark, but my experience with moss leans more towards rotting roots due to overwatering, and or roots not getting enough air. Some of my small orchids (small, but not quite miniature) I have put into spag moss mixed with leca pellets, in air cone pots. These are on a heat mat, and seem to be ok so far. I guess I want to know if there actually is a mix out there that is fine enough to use for mini phals?

The only potting mix that may enter the US from the Taiwanese 'factory nurseries' is pure spaghnum. They arrive in those pots, are forced into bud, and sold as quickly as possible.

You can grow in that material, if you tailor your watering and fertilizing accordingly. However, most hobby growers repot into whatever their preference is.

My mini Phals are all in regular Phal mix from repot me. com, or their all purpose potting mix. they do fine.

You can use anything that does not rot quickly and has quick drainage for a potting medium. Nut shells, gravel, choir, lecca, expanded clay noduals, sticks, certain plastic sponges used in fish tank filters...the plant dosent need the medium for nutrition, just to have something to hang on to and supply a small amount of moisture. Full sized phal bark is fine. They do have smaller grades.

I end up buying more hawian orchids because the ones I get are grown in lava, and are very healthy. To repot, I just move the lava into a bigger pot and add more stones, and perhaps some choir.

I recently acquired several of the mini Phals in the little liners and colourful narrow little cache pots. I used new moss and smaller chunks of the medium bark to repot them into small clear pots with good drain holes in them. They seem fine so far.

In addition to being imported in moss, it is easy for commercial growers to repot many plants quickly in moss, and it works well for short term production conditions. So a lot of mass market orchids come in moss. Usually not the best choice for long term windowsill or under-lights growers though.

Mini Phals can grow in anything suitable for full size Phals, perhaps a slightly finer grade. As always, adjust water and fertilizer to work with the media and conditions.

Thank you all so much for your replies ☺ I can go forward with my mini's with confidence 😉

If they are still blooming I like to cut slits in the liner pots till they are done. They dry out much faster and the roots will even grow out of the slits. I have left them this way for a long time before I have re-potted them. They do very well. Then the first 2 I potted in paph/ seedling mix from Kellys Korner.

I potted them into 3 inch clear pots with slits in the side, the ones everyone sells they are the perfect size. I thought they were drying out to fast so the next 2 I put in a bit more moss into the mix and I think I like it better. 3 of them are reblooming right now while one is still not budding.

My Two cents.
Moss is very retentive, neat, porous, lightweight, and maintains even moisture throughout the pot.
Moss is great for indoor grown Phals-orchids. Simply water only when it (bottom hole) no longer feels damp to touch, this may be weeks depending on the location.
Moss is terrible in the green house, it gets soggy, and decomposes if mixed with other media and no longer acts as a porous media.
So I love the moss for my houseplant phals.
I remove all moss from my greenhouse orchids and repot in more porous less retentive media.