Hi Andrew, I would've potted your Phalaenopsis in a pot one size larger, 5" but if you are very careful and you allow the potting media to go just almost dry, you might be okay. I have a tendancy to overwater if the planting media looks dry but with that much material around the roots, you need to be more careful not to over water. Also, Phalaenopsis like a lot of air circulation around their roots, this much potting media may prove difficulty for the roots. If your plant is healthy, it will probably grow more roots above the planting media and outside the pot.
As for the Restripia trichoglossa, this is a Pleurothalid member. I have Masdevallia, another Pleurothalid. It grows in similar light as the Phalaenopsis, but it is a cool growing plant, and does not require the same temperature as Phalaenopsis. I would assume, and I hope someone growing this plant, would concur or not, that this plant likes to be firmly in its pot. So I would use a slightly larger pot, 2.5" or 3" pot. I would not try to unravel the roots, unless you want to divide the plant, I would just re-pot the plant in the new pot and add the new media around the root ball. I take great care not to disturb Masdevallia roots as this seems to set them back.
On second thought, generally speaking, it is always good to use as small a pot as possible for epiphytic orchids. They naturally live on tree branches and they rely on their roots to not only anchor them but to also seek out moisture and air-borne nutrients.
Last edited by MattWoelfsen; 01-01-2014 at 01:10 PM..
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