HI ~~ Thanks for the advice. I ordered these plants online. I put them into a small bark, charcoal and (1/5) #3 perilite mixture. I put them into 5 ½ inch pots, however I filled the bottoms with Styrofoam to fit the plants better. They were in Sphagnum, when I received them. I water by running tap water through the media for about five minutes. (2 * a week) I was using filtered water but I couldnÂt figure out how to drench the plant with limited water. If anyone has found a way please fill me in! I also open the windows in the day time for them. One had a fantastic root system, one was good, one is growing a bunch of new roots at the top, and the last one is growing one new root over the bottom leaf. The last two all of the deep roots were either rotted or hard and brown with black tips. I really hope these roots are alive as the plants are smaller than I am used too. They have an 8  12" leaf spread. Sorry I was not clear earlier. The smallest is probably 7". I put them in an east window. I am not sure if this will ease their transition or make it harder. I am trying to reduce the strain of travel and repotting. I also want to confine them for a few weeks. They looked healthy. My Cattleyas, Den., Vandas, and two of my Phals are in front of the west windows. I have one regular window and one large 7 ft wide one. I was told to put the Phals in the window but eight of them wrinkled and the leaves got soft. They get enough light eight feet from that window to have yellows and reds in their leaves. I think I gave them sunburn. Does anyone know in Penang Girl and Princess Kaiulani can take full sun? I am in North Dakota. Also how does one get light to the roots? I have been debating learning to mount my Phals. When they are unpotted the roots always seem nice and healthy. I have found that unpotting Phals and misting or wrapping the roots in a damp paper towel seems to aid in their recovery when I give them root rot. More light, more air. I am going to have to add artifical light this winter as only one plant was happy last winter. As of right now I have not yet figured it out. Sory this is so long, Thanks, Samantha

Most important that orchids do not sit in water so provide better drainage by putting some stones into the bottom of the outer pot until you can repot it After the blooms fade or in the spring is a good time to repot and many how-to videos when you do a search on your computer. Water seems good, plant needs to dry out between waterings. Needs more frequent watering in summertime. fertilize weakly-weekly and use urea-free fertilizer. BTW phals are ony orchid I know of that can be repotted in bloom; if you want to try it. You can take it to an orchid nursery and staff will repot for you for a fee and you can watch too. Also water in early AM so leaves can dry off and also make sure no water is in the center of plant where the leaves meet; this can lead to black rot and then you have lost the plant. Good Luck!

Yes, most of those aerial roots are dead. Hard to give advice without knowing anything about potting materials available there. Here is about the same latitude South and most orchid society members do not grow Phalaenopsis, why bother, when there are many orchids you can grow outside in the yard with a bit of shade-cloth for cover. If you decide to continuing using spag, you have to match your watering routine and temperatures to that medium. Looking at the caspar milktoasts in this room, they have lots of aerial roots that are alive, so why are most of the aerial roots dead on your plants? Do you have a temperature/humidity gadget? added via edit. A florist, told me that she tells customers to water Phalaenopsis once a month and that might be on the money seeing how much water spag holds. For now, enlarge drainage holes and reduce watering. Seek advice from local orchid societies re. optimum medium for Phals there. Cut the spent flowering spikes off at the base. Given good growing conditions you will get new spikes late next autumn. In a different better draining medium I water about once a week in winter and maybe twice a week in summer.

Louise, First, you might want to start a new thread for this. You have jumped in on the tail end of a three year old thread, and a lot of folks may just be looking over it. I'm located in the center part of South Carolina, USA and have very little experience with potting in sphagnum (in this part of the world we tend to prefer the fir bark mixes), so I'll leave potting mix preferences to someone else to comment on. Generally speaking the orchid plants sold in the "big box" stores and florist shops in the USA come double potted. the plant and potting mix are growing in a clear slotted plastic pot that is nested inside the heavy ceramic un-drained outer pot. This is the reason most new growers loose their first few orchid plants. It sounds like your plant was actually planed in the heavy non draining pot, and you have taken all the necessary steps to give it the best chance of survival. If your new plastic pot only has one or two holes in the bottom, consider cutting additional openings in the side of the pot for additional ventilation. Enclosing the pot and plant in a plastic bag increases the humidity around the plant, and this is good. You may also want to consider putting a few holes in the top and bottom of the outer bag to increase air flow. You want to enclose this plant in an atmosphere that has lots of humidity and warmth, and a bit less light than normal until the plant begins to grow. It also needs air flow to prevent any standing water from accumulating around the roots. The roots need to be moist in the potting mix, but not wet. Epiphytic orchids grow in the jungles attached to trees and rocks that are covered with moss, lichens, and other plants. When it rains, they get soaked, but as soon as it stops raining they begin to dry off. You need to duplicate this for your other orchids, but for this one plant that is already having problems, increasing humidity, temperature, and air flow without allowing standing water to collect around the roots is the proper method to deal with it.. This process is slow, and does not always produce the desired results, but when it does, it produces a great deal of satisfaction for a new grower, not to mention the knowledge and experience you have gained from the experience. Good luck. Bill