Strangely confused about how much to water the Phals

[Roberta]

It's safe to repot Phals any time - they grow pretty much constantly. Other types, like Cattleyas, are picky about being potted only when active root growth starts.

[JaimeZX]

So... the two in question now seem to have good root growth going on. I dialed it back from Sat/Tues to just Sat waterings, but that might not be quite enough. I'm going to try "every six days" and see how that works out.

Meanwhile, being a sucker and deal-maker simultaneously, I chatted up the manager and bought three grocery store Phals for $10 because they were almost out of flowers. Made sure to check the roots first. Roots look good to me (if cramped?). Leaves are all beautiful.





One has some tiny mushrooms because of course they all had water in the plastic pots.

Would you bother re-potting them right now, or when is your expert advice as to what to do with these things?

[estación seca]

The roots look good now.

I can't be sure whether you need to repot. The medium might be good, in which case there is no rush to repot. Some people repot all orchids immediately. I don't.

You can repot Phals in bloom and it will not bother them. Other orchids usually not.

[aliceinwl]

The roots look good. If the media looks good and root health stays good, I agree there is no rush to repot. Sometimes the media they come potted in doesn’t work for your conditions or husbandry practices so if you notice a decline in root health, I’ve found it’s better to repot sooner rather than later. I’d also have some larger pots on hand: I can never get Phals with root systems as good as those look back into their original containers so they get upgraded.