Introduction and question

[diehl1975]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the board and also have a question. I have had a phalaenopsis for about 4 months now. It is in full bloom and I'm really enjoying it. My question is this... there are several (8 or 9) root sections that are growing completely outside of the pot and medium. After the flowers drop I am planning on repotting but do not know if these roots that are in the air right now should be placed in the pot or if they should be left in the air as they are now. I bought two bags of the shultz orchid potting mix, both fine and coarse, so if someone has a suggestion on which I should use that would be great too.

So I guess I actually had two questions

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and I look forward to becoming part of the message board community.

Take care,
Jason

[mayres]

The first question to ask is does your plant really NEED to be repotted. For many (myself included), the main reason to repot a newly acquired plant is to thoroughly inspect the root system and remove any damage. This will give you a good base line so that you know from this point on any good (or bad) is due to your care and not your predecessor. Be sure you do not use a pot too big - just barely big enough for all the roots to fit in. The current air roots that are limber enough to maneuver into the new pot can go in there, but don't worry if some of them remain air roots. These plants grow on trees in the wild and the roots are sticking out in every direction "looking" for new attachment points - sort of like ivy. There are loads of different opinions as to what type of media to use. If you tend to baby your plants I would go with the coarser of the two. The last thing you want to do with a phal is overwater and this will retain less water. Regardless of which one you use be sure and soak the bark 24-48 hours ahead of time. Many people as they grow phals longer end up going with more moisture retentive options, but this is a good starting point. Good luck - mike

[arleneg]

Hi Jason,

Welcome to the forum! Since Mike answered your question, I'll just .

[diehl1975]

Thank you for the advice! It is greatly appreciated. After hearing what you had to say I think I'll just leave it alone. The chunks of bark that came with it still seem to be holding up so I think I'll just let it be.

Take care,
Jason