Phalaenopsis too tall for pot!

[LindaG]

Hi - I wonder if anyone can help - I have a lovely phal that is just too tall. Had a black area at the soil line(??) some time ago, and has since sprouted lots of aerial roots above that, and has great leaf growth. Can I cut the stem above that black spot and try to repot? If so how do I decide which roots go above the medium mix and which below? I hesitate to cut most things! Thanks in advance!

[justatypn]

I am going to take a shot in the dark with no photo to go by...

First you really do not need to pick and choose the roots that need to be above or below medium. One thing about phal, they are nosy and love to walk there footed roots to the sides of a clear pot and or stretch there legs above medium level.

I am not sure about the black area at medium level, could be a fungus, rot, many things so a would be great to determine (unless another hobbyist can chime in) without a I do not recommend cutting any part of the phal other than dry or mushy roots.

If you have clear pots, your phal will be Happy Happy Happy.

[Brooke]

If your black spot on the stem is below the roots, you can cut off the spot and rely on the roots above it.

Roots are roots, they are only aerial because they grow above the potting media. I prefer to keep as many of my roots in the media so I don't have to rely on ambient humidity (and I have lots in a g/h) to keep the roots plump.

Soak the roots for a couple of hours, when they are pliable, pot them up into the media. Watch your watering until the roots adapt to the mix. The clear pot is a great choice so you can see when the roots turn white, you know it is safe to repot.

Brooke

[LindaG]

Thanks so much - I'd read somewhere that you can "shorten" up a leggy phal, but of course when I wanted to refer back to the instructions I couldn't find them.

[tuvoc]

Hi Linda. I've been doing exactly the same thing to my phals for a long time. Works fine for me. One thing I have learned, if you give them more light, they tend to get less leggy, and stay a little more managable. They also seem to bloom better too.

Kim

[k.gysler@sbcglobal.net]

I too have a very tall phalaenopsis orchid with 16 healthy leaves. It is leaning a lot and top heavy and must be supported. It is currently blooming and I'd like to cut it down after it finishes blooming. It has plenty of roots. Can I cut the stalk with a sterilized knife and repot the top in new orchid medium? I have had it a long time and it has been re-potted twice. Thanks for any advice.

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

A lot depends on what is going on in the pot. One reason for getting lots of aerial roots is if the medium is rotting and the roots in the pot are rotting - the plant will do what it needs to do to survive. When you get ready to repot, if you can take a photo of the plant, out of the pot, it will help others on the forum to advise you of the best approaches. A Phal can be repotted while in bloom, but if it is doing well (and it sounds like you have established good conditions for it) it is fine to wait and and not risk damaging flowers. In the meantime, you could put it in a heavier pot that has good drainage (like a terracotta garden pot) so that it doesn't tip over.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by k.gysler@sbcglobal.net

repot the top in new orchid medium?

k.g. --- do you mean cut the flower stalk and repot the phal orchid into a new pot? Just making sure that we have the correct interpretation of 'repot the top'.

[Dollythehun]

As they age, phals will developed are bare stem under the roots. I think this is what the OP means. It's usually corkey and black. I just cut that off under the good roots and repot. A picture would be helpful. But, you may need 5 posts to insert one.

[aliceinwl]

Most of my older indoor Phalaenopsis have become “leaners” too. If they have dead corky stem like Dolly described, I’ll trim that when I repot. Or, if they have leafless stem with air roots above the media, I’ll bury those roots and pot them deeper. But, if it’s just too top heavy and there’s nothing dead to trim and nothing that can be safely buried, I just shop around for a pot setup that the plant will be happy in without tipping over.