Question
I purchased very small orchid plants; sold immersed in small bottles with paraffin wax and water. How do i pot them, in what potting mixture? Is it ok to pot them in plain mud? Currently i am located in India. Also the plant is very small - with roots of about 3-4 inches in length.

Answer
Purnima, with 3-4 inch roots I would remove them from the bottle.  In the process of doing this be careful not to damage the roots.  Orchids , for the most part are air plants in that, in the wild, they grow with their roots exposed to the air.  This means you should not use mud as it may compact and limit the flow of air to the roots too much. Because of where they have been growing, they will initially need to be in a moist environment. If you can find any live moss I recommend that you place the seedlings in a well drained pot in moss.  The moss should be loose in the pot and not compacted.  The moss will help to maintain humidity.  Do not allow the moss to dry completely but kept just moist.  Remember that regardless how moist the moss my feel on the surface, it will be more wet lower down in the pot.  Keep the moss just damp to the touch. as the plants adapt to their new environment outside of the bottle and grow they can be transferred to a loose mix of moss and tree fern, small fir bark, and/or perlite. Water or mist only in the morning and maintain extra air movement about the plant to prevent fungal attacks on the plants.