A phal in it's growth cycle but also a new flower spike. When should I repot?
 

:hello
I have a newbie question that maybe you guys could help me with. :) So about two months ago I bought a phal. from a grocery store. It seems to be doing well (tons of roots and nice green leaves.) The flowers are still going strong. It is really tightly potted in one of those standard flexible plastic pots with sphagnum moss but the roots look healthy with new tips growing. It also has been growing a new leaf. I thought with all this growth it would drop its flowers but they are still going strong. Now it is growing a new flower spike! I've read that I'm supposed to wait until it is out of bloom to repot but now it is trying to rebloom again. When do you think I should repot this phal?

Thanks to everyone in advance!

First, consider that repotting may risk losing blossoms, but NOT repotting may risk the entire plant!

The important factors in repotting are initiation of new roots from the base of the plant, and trying to keep the conditions - particularly moisture level - similar pre-, and post-repot. If both are met, the plant should go on without missing a beat.

Soak the existing sphagnum and roots, so you can extract as much of the old medium as possible, with as little root damage as possible.

On the assumption that sphagnum is not your "routine" potting medium, be sure to pretreat the medium well, to ensure it has absorbed as much water as it can, and really keep up with the watering for the first few weeks after potting.

I can only emphasize what Ray said. Many Phals can be nearly constant bloomers, especially mini or novelty types, though even standard Phals are trending more in that directlion. You can't wait forever to repot so do it when the plant is in the right stage of growth.

For a big standard Phal that you expect will stop within a few months and you repotted less than a year ago and know the media and roots are in good shape, wait. Otherwise, go.

You may risk buds and flowers when you repot, but it does not risk a healthy plant to repot with flowers. It does risk a healthy plant if it stays in bad media or is repotted at the wrong stage of growth. There is no need to remove the spikes or wait for flowers to fade, and with gentle care and a little luck you won't lose a single flower or bud.

Phals are tough. While it makes sense that you could risk buds and blooms by repotting, Phals are about as unlikely as any orchid to be disturbed by a repotting. I've repotted any number of blooming Phals with no ill effect.

Thank you so much everyone! I'm new to them and I was confused. It seems like it was in its growth phase with the new roots and leaf but it was holding tight to its flowers and making a new spike, so I wasn't sure what phase it was in. I want the plant healthy and strong first and foremost.

Thank you again. :)

Thank you so much for this thread and the awesome info!

I'm in a similar situation with 2 of my phals. I bought one back in March and it's been going strong this whole time, I think I've only lost 2 blooms so far on it, and it's currently putting out more roots and a new leaf. My concern is that the medium is fairly degraded. Everything I've read so far is that I should be waiting for the blooms to fall before repotting but it's now been 5 months with no sign that the blooms are getting ready to fall... Not that I'm complaining, they're gorgeous! But I would still like to change the medium and maybe do some root maintenance on the dead ones.

The second one is one I'd had at my previous work that rebloomed for me. The medium is still good but the roots need some maintenance. This one is currently in bloom, putting out oodles of new roots, 2 new leaves and I believe a second spike is starting to come out... I'm not sure if I should be touching this one at all since there's so much going on with it...

Any help and/or suggestions would be much appreciated!

They're Phals. If you feel like repotting them then do. Nothing bad is going to happen.

I have often rescued phals that were in full bloom from stores that are way too tightly packed in moss, and repot right away, with no ill effects. I'm not a fan of moss, but to ease the transition from straight moss to bark, I repot them in a mix with moss added. That way they don't have to make such a stark transition. I always feel better, as I know I've given them much needed air for the roots, vs the dense smothering of moss. It's important to add that I always presoak my bark mixes overnight to ensure that it can retain moisture. Hope that helps.

Since these are tightly packed in sphagnum, I was thinking of doing just what you suggested; bark and sphagnum. Thanks so much! :)