Newbie from Canada here to say "Hello!"

[Charlemagne]

Hello everyone. This is my first time posting but I've been a lurker for a few months now, ever since I bought my first orchid. It is a phaleonopsis, which I've read is a more common kind.

This one will be a learning process for me. It just stopped flowering (which is usual and the right time for it I understand), so based on the fact that I didn't know what the roots looked like or how it had been cared for in the store, I decided to do a re potting in a new medium. It was planted in some kind of moss before, but I re planted it in the Schulze's potting mix made up of bark, charcoal, and rock pieces or something of that nature. I trimmed the spikes down prior, of course, and I trimmed the dark and dead roots off the bottom. It is already going wild, because it has a new root forming and a new leaf growing, so I'm very happy.

If there's any advice that anyone can give me, please let me know! This is a learning process for me, but I plan on keeping this one alive as long as possible!

I've attached three pictures. One is of the plant flowering which was taken a few months ago. The other is a blurry photo of the base, but if you look hard enough you should be able to see the green bump that is the root. The other is a general photo of the orchid after I re potted it. Enjoy!

[dipasquo]

Hi Charlemagne,

Welcome! I'm pretty new myself but have found everyone here at OG very warm and helpful. I would have done the same thing you did - repot into a bark mix rather than leave it in sphag - and I hear people like the Schultz mix, though I toss my own mix together that is similar. I might have left the spike to see if it would put out a follow-on growth, which Phals sometimes do, but this is personal preference and nobody would fault the decision to cut it back. Sounds like, with the new leaf and root growth, you're all systems go. You might check out the AOS Culture Sheet if you haven't already - AOS | Phalaenopsis

Good luck and have fun!

[patticake]

Hi Charlemagne!! !! It's great to have you with us!!! Your pictures look good! New growth and new juicy roots are a sure sign that you're doing something right! We're so happy to have you with us, let us know how you're making out! for the pictures!!

[solay]

I love your Phal. Pretty colors and looks very healthy too. Welcome and nice to have you on the forum.

[arleneg]

Hi & welcome to the forum, Charlemagne. You've had better luck that I with Phals. That's a very nice looking one.

[Rocinante]

Hey, Charlemagne It doesn't look as if you need any advice from us right now 'cause your Phal is doing just fine. Good move re-potting from sphagnum to bark, sphag stays too wet for my liking. There are some of the best in the hobby on this board to consult if you should need them. You'll learn a lot just reading all the different posts. Stick around!

[Charlemagne]

Thanks for the welcoming comments everyone! This message board looks like it has a wealth of knowledge to be learned.

[kid a]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! Nice t meet you. That is a pretty pretty phal. Hooray for new roots! And thanks for the pictures!

[jay]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Glad you made the jump from lurker to poster. We look forward to talking to you more.

Oh, and thanks for the pictures. We love pictures.