Phals in S/H

[tinabee]

Hi, everyone. I'm new to the forum, but I'm not new to owning orchids. However, I am new to S/H. After losing a lot of my orchids to sphag in the beginning, and being less than enamored of bark mixes, I decided to place several of my phals in S/H the beginning of this month (March '10). Generally, I am happy with the results so far (one just put out a new bloom spike and some new roots are emerging!!), but I have concerns about the other plants.

There are approximately 4 of my phals that were in bloom when I transferred them to S/H. The reason why I did this is because they were all packed very tightly in sphag. In Florida, sphag + orchid + humidity = certain death. What I did was, I soaked the LECA in water w/ KLN for about two days before replanting in the new S/H pots. Those phals haven't dropped blooms, although a couple of the leaves look a little droopy at the bottom of the crown one one plant. These plants did not have new root growth at the time of repotting.

How much initial root loss can I expect in the beginning when these plants transition, and when should I become alarmed that things are not right? I also haven't gotten a clear answer on how often to water. I am concerned that if I water more frequently, it may possibly worsen the root rot situation. Do I water again when the reservoir is almost empty until the plants re-establish themselves? I recall reading on Ray's website that after repotting it is good to not water for a while so the roots are forced to adapt, so I'm a little confused over the watering issue.

TIA.