Bad time to repot a phal?

[irrka]

I've had this big phal from Ikea for over a year now. It was flowering great when i first bought it, and hasn't flowered or spiked since. The old spike is still on and the leaves look fine. It's in sphagnum and i read that you're supposed to re-pot sphagnum after about a year, but then people say to wait until it's done flowering. Since i'm not seeing any new growth, should i just try moving it now or wait until spring "to be safe" that nothing new is going to happen?

[kiki-do]

HI Irrka!
I repot whenever my phals are done blooming and spiking, and consider that to be an ideal time to repot. There blooming times vary so much that it might be in spike in the spring. That's just my personal opinion, mind you, but it's been working well for me. Good luck! kiki-do

[Ray]

The best time to repot is when a plant is growing new roots.

[Pals]

I find the phals the most forgiving of orchids when it comes to re-potting. I've re-potted roots growing, roots dormant, out of spike, in spike, maybe I'm just lucky.

Pals

[irrka]

Thanks so much! Re-potting it is. I'll probably nix that old spike too. i've been looking at it for almost a year waiting for a miracle re-birth or something. :P

[irphrog]

When I first discovered that I had this orchid addiction, I allowed my first phal to stay "in spike" after the flowers had long since been gone....the poor thing did actually flower again but at the expense of the plant...my husband calls them suicide plants - meaning that they stay in bloom so long they kill themselves....