Tips for repotting Phal gigantea?

[camille1585]

I got a young Phal gigantea 18 months ago, and it's doing great. The pot is full of roots, and they've even come through the bottom holes and have firmly attached to the plastic saucer and even the metal shelf. With any other Phal I'd repot without thinking, but I have read in multiple places that Phal gigantea HATES being repotted and will sulk for quite a while after.

So with that in mind, I assume it would be better to wait until spring (active root growth) to repot so that it gets re-established quickly?

I hope to leave it in it's new pot for many years. But the usual bark/sphag mix I use will need changing after 2 years (3 at the max). Would straight Leca work for this Phal, knowing that my humidity is in the 40-60% range?

And generally, any repotting tips for this guy are welcome.

And it may be good to mention that mounting is NOT an option for me, even though this species does best mounted. I just can't keep up with the watering needs of mounts, and have long given up keeping any.