It certainly does need air and drainage holes. Plant is in good condition. Best thing to do is find some complete Phalaenopsis cultivation notes on the net written for the Pacific North West. Is there an inner pot inside the cache pot?

Many thanks to everyone for your contributions and experiences. I got some pine mulch and put the 'fines' in the bottom. I bought two bags of the Miracle Grow blend for Cactus, Palms & Citrus. It is VERY light. I think everyone gave great advice. Going to try this and see how it GROWS. We grew them outside in the ground in California, but I was just a kid. Mother and Grannie just stuck them in the ground. As far as I know they never did anything else except "drip" water them with gray water the first season. After that, they were on their own. Our date palms were gigantic and the dates were yummy. There were several other varieties, but I don't know what the others were. I do recall that Grannie sprayed them with the hose from time to time to wash off the dust. They loved it. Having palms in the house makes me feel like I am home again. (Oh...those childhood memories). As for the size of the new pot, I got an emerald green ceramic Lotus pot and put it on a black wrought iron plant dolly with a clear plastic drip tray underneath. That will make it handy for moving when I clean the floors or rearrange things. The pot is about 4 inches bigger around in diameter, and in depth, it's about 1/3 deeper than the container it came in, so I think it is "joosta" - just right for the pot upgrade. The color is beautiful with the green palm fronds. One thing I did forget to ask, though. Should I cover the top of the soil with a little bit of the bark fines or the potting mix or both? I don't want to suffocate it since I know they need to breathe, but it does look a bit exposed on the surface. Thanks for your help, Palm lovers. ~Annie

I have studied growing in containers quite a bit...and there is a lot of info available under the "container" section, and elsewhere. Some of the contributions from certain gardeners is very good. One of the primary downfalls of many container mixes is: they do not drain well because of the size of medium used in the mix (over-simplification). Have you ever noticed the bottom 2 inches of your pots loads up with "muck"? There are a couple of reasons for that. I actually "custom" mix to eliminate/reduce this common problem (in addition to using a wick). As stated above...you can really empty your bank account buying supplies if you are not careful. Oftentimes, I buy inexpensive (larger quantity) bags of cactus mix to supplement my other ingredients. I am not sure what your ideas/purposes are...but it is a good thing to pay attention to what you are using for a soil mix. It can make or break your whole planting experience. Some folks plant in crap...and then they spend a small fortune on seeds, plants, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, etc....and still fail. I do not mean to rant...but rather help some folks avoid trouble and disappointment. With good intentions...I see people put rocks in the bottom of their containers, use "moisture control" mixes, add native soil to the mix, and do all kinds of stuff that shoot themselves in the foot. Kind of sad. goodluck, and keep asking... PS If you are just temporarily re-potting to a larger pot prior to garden plantout...just save yourself some money/time and use "regular" MG potting mix or like product. Not sure what your plan is. haha

I've been growing orchids for at least ten years and I still get confused by info I find on-line. Unfortunately much of it often being contradictory. More of my two cents worth: your plant has a new pot, size should be OK for another year. Watch those escaping roots, as long as they stay nice and silver green in color with greener growing tips they are happy!!! Misting them with a hand sprayer will make them even happier . it will appreciate moving air from a nearby fan and bright light. Temps the same that you and I enjoy. Feed every week or two with a 1/4 strength plant food ( orchid food, IF available). These are ideal conditions for the plant. They will usually grow/bloom with much less than ideal conditions. Be careful to NOT let water sit in the crown of the leaves. If water splashes in there just blot it out with tissue. It's best to water/mist early in the a.m. If that will work for you, then excess water has time to evaporate. Relax and enjoy your plant, after all you've grown it already for well over six months!!!