Help Please !!

[elitebettas]

Hello everyone,
I'm a bit new to orchids but have had great luck and have expanded my collection. I have a few miniature oncidiums, some catts, a vanda (mokara orange), and six phals.
My most recent phal is the one I'm concerned about. When purchased, it was potted in moss, and looked to be in desperate need of water. I should have just watered it, but i repotted in bark . The leaves got really limp and withered except the two upper ones. The plant is in bloom and laden with gorgeous flowers. Anyways, today i decided it could not be saved unless it received more uniform moisture so repotted in moss. The roots look okay, now a bit withered where exposed to air, but healthy when looked at through the plastic pot below the surface. Should I cut the spike off so the plant can bounce back or just watch it????

[kmarch]

If the roots are healthy, I would be led to think this is a case of the plant havign been underwatered before you took over its care. If the flowers are all already fully open, I do not believe leaving them will stress the plant. On the other hand, if the Phal growers here think it will and think you should cut the inflorescence off, you can still enjoy it as a cut flower for some time.

As I only have a few Phals and have mixed success with them, I will defer to those who grow lots of them. Lets see what they say.

[mayres]

IMHO - if you are concerned with maximizing the health of the plant - cut the spike(s) off and put in a vase - they will not last as long - but will last for awhile. The plant will perk up quicker and be on the road to recovery.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

When you repot into bark, you should soak the bark first and press faily well into the pot. Part of the problem is that the roots are not making very much surface contact to the bark. Then when you water, you need to soak the bark really well, so taking it to the sink and running a lot of water thru the plant is a good practice. Once the bark starts to wet easily, you won't have to run quite so much water thru the pot, but still taking the plant to the sink is a good idea.

[elitebettas]

Yes, I also had the same thought-that the bark is too "fresh", it is wonderful in aiding the novice to avoid overwatering/rotting roots, but it does little for capillary action for succulent type roots as phalaenopsis. I've noticed that the moss gives more uniform moisture and plump green and vigorously growing roots-I just don't trust myself with the water can, lol. The plants are doing fine though. The one I talked about in my original post is now in moss and the roots look good, slowly but surely the leaves will catch up
Thank you for your advice