Hi, alexandra. Since you want so much to give good care to those phals, you should invest a few minutes of time into reading about them. Good notes on culture for phals are available at the Canadian Orchid Congress (see url below). Just scroll down for phals. Good culture notes are also available at Big Leaf Orchids, where Peter Lin has written up culture notes especially for hobby growers. At Big Leaf, click "information" in the banner. A few minutes invested in reading up will repay you handsomely in better health for your Grandma's orchids while they're in your care. You may also get to love them, and start growing your own :) Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Canadian Orchid Congress

A picture always helps. It is possible you are doing everything right but the plant prefers something else. Move it a few feet or give it more or less than before. I had one that finally bloomed 10 years later and it was pitiful. Google the plant name with the word culture after the name. That should give you the various requirements.

Thanks for the information Here is a link that might be useful: more on Bud Spence

There is no simple answer to this as it depends on environment and so many other variables. This person is growing in NY. Her plant needs to survive the winter indoors with low humidity. Orchid roots cannot stay wet. The mix has to fit the environment. The pot size needs to fit the environment. Bark soaks in the water. If watered too frequently it never dries out. The roots stay wet and air is blocked. If you want to overpot, you need to use a large bark mix, something which allows the air to flow through. But during winter some sphag should be mixed in to prevent the roots from drying out. Many new growers tend to over-water and in a large pot the bark, as James explained, does not dry out. The roots will start dying and the plant might send out aerial roots into the air. In a dry environment, those roots will dry out. The safest way to prevent all these hypothetical situations is to underpot. Water when the bark feels almost dry and the plant will thrive. I have grown Phals in NY for many years and now in Florida. Florida is a totally different culture. High heat, high humidity. New York, warm summers, cold winters indoors, very low humidity. I would recommend 'Summerlee' repot after flowering in a pot that is not too big. Give it some protection by covering the surface of the bark with a thin layer of sphag moss during winter and only water when 'almost dry.' Jane