Valentine's noid mini phals question :)

[Lady Tottington]

Thanks all! Well, I unpotted them both, the first lighter colored one had great roots, but good golly, the sphag in there was so compacted! OY! I removed it all, and boy, there were a ton of roots. I went up one small pot to a 2" and poted again in a sphag bark charcoal perlite mix and I think it's happy and not too tight or loose. The second, I unpotted and the roots fit nicely back in the plastic pot which I did scissor some more slits into, and I put it in the same sphag bark charcoal perlite mix. Hopefully they will live long and free and be happy

Thanks my friends for the suggestions! I vow to be able to keep phals alive, esp. these little tiny cuties!

[RosieC]

I bought one squished into sphag like that on Friday and I repotted within an hour of getting it home.

I put it in S/H because I've read that coming from moss they can do better in that than in bark. Also I am getting to really like either just lecca as a standard medium or lecca as a S/H medium much more than I like bark these days.

[RosieC]

I'm like Camille by the way, in the past I've not had any success with leaving in them in the pots like that.

The last ones I had didn't survive even with repotting, but then I bought them on discount so they had been there in the shop rotting for ages before I got them home. This time when I bought one it looked like it was a new batch in the supermarket and I'm much more hopeful it will be OK now I've repotted into a medium I'm comfortable with.

[camille1585]

Plants like that if you don't jump on them as soon as they arrive in the store then they're hopelessly overwatered. Roots may look fine, but the rot process has already set in.

[Lady Tottington]

true enough, Camilla, the last 4 I bought were on discount for $4 each, and I'm using them as experiments, and hoping for the best, however I understand if they are a lost cause, but I still might shed a tear or two These new little babies had just arrived within the last two days, so I'm convinced I got them early, and I unpacked them and although I didn't do LECA -i can't seem to find the stuff locally I'm hoping the sphag, bark, perlite & charcoal mix will help my success rate.

I seem to have great luck with phals if they already come in bark, but the ones that don't, I think the plants sense my fear just like I've heard dogs can sense fear

hugs & orchids!

[Call_Me_Bob]

CUTE! im sure youve gotten some good advice. i almost bought some yesterday, they werw a littl eolder and had no bloom. but they were on sale for 3.99! the best part was, they had IDs!!! but alas, i convinced myself against it, and the money is going towards my missions trip

yours are very cute, and that one has loads of leaves!