my first phal!

[palefaced&pink]

i just brought it home and am still inspecting it. it's "potted" in a bag inside of a tiny plastic pot, and it's really wet, and in a really green medium.....the leaves look really green and healthy, and it has 2 flower spikes. one of the spikes has 2 blooms and looks like it has been cut...the other spike has 3 blooms and one bud, but also looks like it might grow another bud still?

my plant collection lives in an eastern window that only ever gets bright shade. i run a humidifier for most of the day, but i don't know if that's good or bad yet...everyone looks happy and these are my first REAL attempts at keeping pet plants....it all started with the den and now i have a small begonia collection as well as a couple of african violets. everyone seems to like the same kinds of conditions

should i put this phal in a pot right away or wait? are shallow pots better?

[cindiras]

If it is wet, don't wait, transplant it to a well draining pot now! Or you will learn about root rot right away!

[mayres]

Sounds like your phal is planted in sphagnum moss. Some people love the stuff, but I personally would NOT recommend it for newbies - as noted above - difficult to keep properly watered and I'm predicting root rot is certain, if not already a problem. Probably the easiest thing to use for starters is a medium bark with or without perlite and a little charcoal that you might get at any gardening center - specifically termed "orchid bark". Eventually many of us choose a finer mix of medias, but bark will work for the time being. After depotting your plant check all the roots and remove any black, mushy, dried up material and only keep the roots that are filled out and plump/solid. Soak your bark for 24-48 hours before using it. If in doubt about the size pot, go smaller rather than larger. Most likely the very pot you have now will work fine. If you have some concerns about pot size take a pic of the plant w/roots and the pot you are using and we'll be happy to give you our 2 cents worth. Bright indirect light from an east window is an excellent location. Enjoy! mike

[kellyincville]

I have to stick up for sphag; I have all my phals in it and they love it. It depends on your watering habits. I have a tendency to forget about my phals and in the winter they are watered about every 10-14 days. However if you think that you'll want to fuss with them more, then a faster drying media such as bark might work better for you.

And to answer your question about pot depth. I don't put my phals in particularly shallow or deep pots- just a run of the mill orchid pot seems to suit them fine.

[kmarch]

Remember there's no right or wrong when it comes to which media to use. It is a question of what media produces the best results given my conditions and watering habits. Sphag may be a god-send for one grower, a disaster for another all depending on these other factors.

[palefaced&pink]

well, it turns out it's not in a bag...it's in a tiny plastic pot that reminds me of a cup, and it has a drain hole. the roots are visable through the plastic and they all look fat and green....some of the roots have a black spot here and there, but it looks good.

the moss is really green, but in some spots looks brownish....i'm really hoping that's normal.

i have to get some orchid fertilizer, and haven't fed my den since i got it in October. do dendrobiums and phal's use the same type of fertilizer?

[mayres]

Yep - you can use the same fertilizer for both. There are probably more theories on which fertilizer to use than which media to use. Lots of options and as Kevin noted with the media - find one that works for you. When in doubt - less is better than more. Some folks use little or none. Many water weakly with fertilizer every time (like myself) - so I don't have to remember when I did it last. Many of us are also using worm tea as a fertilizer (you can check out some of the threads on this topic by searching the forum if interested). One of the most common ways of killing phals is overwatering - so just be careful with that sphag. Enjoy!

[tizzycat]

It really is down to what works for you. Like Mike I personally do not like sphagnum moss, but being in the UK means things dry out a little slower. My phals are in plain bark and at the moment I am watering every 2 weeks minimum, somtimes every three weeks depending on the skewer. See link below this is a great indicator of the moisture level in the pot.

Skewer use for watering of orchids