Repot blooming NoID Phal?

[AGibson001]

I have a beautiful Phal hybrid with about 15 flowers on two spikes. I recently purchased this plant and the roots are packed very tightly in sphagnum and from the roots that are visible I can see they have shriveled up and deteriorated despite being in moist medium. My instinct is telling me this plant desperately needs to be repotted, but I dont want to stress it too much since it is blooming. Should I just go ahead and repot now even thought the plant is blooming?

[The Orchid Boy]

You could but it may be best to leave it. See what other members say. I would either leave it or cut the spike and repot it. If it hardly has any good roots then definitely cut the spike. It probably got root rot.

I love using sphagnum and I pack it tight. I have all my phals and cattleyas in sphagnum. I fertilize very, very lightly and I don't ever water until the sphagnum is crispy dry all the way through and I mainly use clear pots.

[Gazpacho]

I think orchids in stress tend to try and flower.... you know... one last hurrah before turning to dust. If the plant is ill, the flowers will very quickly drop off... so you may as well wait, I think. There's probably nothing wrong... and you're looking too hard. Just remember to be careful with overwatering.... less roots means ... the plant can absorb less water.... there's always a tendency to water when a plant looks sick.... and that seems to be the wrong thing to do as the roots can only absorb so much... and once full, don't like resting in wet conditions.

[violetta]

My opinion is you should repot immediately. Usually phals in flower don't mind being repotted, you just have to be extra careful not to break the spike. Maybe if you wait for the flowers to fade, you'll risk losing the roots and hence the plant.
Personally I repot all Phals when I buy them, and I never lost a single flower.

[silken]

Originally Posted by violetta

My opinion is you should repot immediately. Usually phals in flower don't mind being repotted, you just have to be extra careful not to break the spike. Maybe if you wait for the flowers to fade, you'll risk losing the roots and hence the plant.
Personally I repot all Phals when I buy them, and I never lost a single flower.

This is my thought too. I have found any store bought Phal to be in totally soaking wet moss that is almost impossible to dry out at the root ball. Since Phals bloom for a long time, you are likely to have the roots rot before it is ever done blooming. At the very least I slip it from the pot and gently pull a good half of the moss out so the roots can get more air and the moss at the centre can dry faster. Many blooms don't skip a beat but it is tricky not to bump the spike when doing it and a little harder to stake it with looser moss. However at least my plant lives to bloom again!