Greetings to all! I've had a Phal for about a year, and I've probably stressed it out quite a bit, though it's recently settled and doing well. I'm new to all plant life, and while I've had some guidance with my other plants, my plant-advisor admitted to not knowing anything about orchids. I did read about the watering when I purchased my Phal, so I knew to be cautious of over-watering and standing water.
Originally, I had it in my bathroom next to a south-eastern exposed window. It was also under a vent, and the AC killed off the blooms in no time, though I didn't realize it then. A few months later, when the heat came on, one of the two spikes dried off and I lost two leaves. Around February, the other spike started drying off, and in fear, and thinking I had not much to lose, I clipped it a few inches beneath the discolored portion.
A few weeks later, I moved. Not wanting to keep it near the heater, and not sure how it would respond to the eastern sun, I moved it from the living room to the top of the fridge in the kitchen, where the western sun lights up the room, but does not actually hit the orchid. Around four weeks ago, the remaining spike started branching off into what I assume is a stem. It has not stopped growing and is at about four inches now. I keep waiting for it to start blooming, but it doesn't seem to stop growing, which I don't think is a problem, because at least it's still growing, right?
Anyway, I've looked online for as much information as I can find, and have done a ton of reading from the newbie posts, so as to not ask repetitious questions, but now I'm overwhelmed, since everything since to depend on multiple factors. This is the reason for this incredibly long post. Now that you have all the background, maybe you can better help.
1. I'm curious as to whether another spike will grow, or if I need anything to happen for the spike to grow? There is still about a one inch stump there, that I haven't trimmed off, for fear of clipping something vital.
2. I read something about top-growing roots, of which there are quite a few, and am concerned about their being exposed so much. Is this a sign for repotting?
3. My orchid came in a clear pot with lots of drainage holes at the bottom, and I have been thinking about repotting, but have been nervous to get anything but a similar, slightly larger, clear pot, which I cannot find anywhere. Thoughts?
4. To water my orchid, I've always just placed it under the faucet, then onto the dish-drying rack to air out and drain, then back into the other pot in which I purchased it. I don't think the leaves fell off because of it, and they certainly haven't since the last leaf fell about eight months ago. Should I do something differently?
Thanks, and sorry for the eternal post.