Question
orchid question
have had a Phaleonopsis for over 3yrs. when it was bought it had large blooms & planted in moss. when blooms finished, i re-potted phal in bark & trimmed off flower stem. this plant has had 6 firm green leaves & 3 healthy, roots above the medium for 2yrs & it has not re-bloomed. recently i re-potted to inspect plant & freshen bark. roots are about 5-6inches long, plump & green tips but same size as when i bought the plant. the regular lengthening & coiling of roots has not happened. have had phals for about 10yrs & have not seen this issue & not able to find on-line. (had some good luck:) have seven phals now in bloom). ideas & suggestions appreciated. thanks in advance.
AnswerHello Rose,
Thanks for the photo, it really helped illustrate your question.
It appears there were roots within the pot, most appear healthy with a few brown and possible dead ones. The aerial roots look fine too.
Since it is not in spike or bloom, I'd suggest repotting it into fresh orchid mix now. Why the roots have not really grown much I'm not quite sure but it may be that the plant was getting all it needed from the short roots it has. If you kept it slightly moist and not allowing the mix to become almost dry, the roots probably never felt a need to grow longer in search of moisture. When you repot it, try to get the aerial roots into the pot but do not force them, just see if they'll go in with a gentle movement, if not, you can leave them out.
By the way, phalaenopsis are one of the orchids that enjoys being repotted annually in early spring after finishing the bloom cycle.
Hope this helped.
Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.
