Question
I would like to know how to correctly re-pot my orchid plants (phalanopsis & dendrobiums).  I have 2 types of planting medium which I buy from Lowe's.  One is orchid moss, which I notice is in most of the plants I purchase from Lowe's, and the other potting mix I have is simply called "orchid mix" which looks like a mixture of bark chips, etc.  
I have one Phalanopsis plant, which needs to be re-potted, that has many air roots and they look really healthy and kind of funky looking.  When I re-pot it, should those air roots be covered by the potting mix or should they be left out.
Finally after 4years, my dendrobium spiked, however all the blooms fell off right before they were to open.  The blooms looked so healthy and then they would start to look opaque and I knew they were dropping.  Should I have misted them regularly.  Would like to know for future blooms.

Answer
Hello Catherine,

Good questions, hope I have some good answers!  

Both potting media are good but it depends upon the person growing the orchids whether one is better than the other.  Moss is good for persons who are not very mindful of watering, watering when they happen to remember.  Bark mixes are good for persons who like to water regularly.  

Phalaenopsis and dendrobium orchids have very different roots, one is very thick while the other is fairly thin.  For this reason, it would be best to use a medium to large size bark mix for the phal and a small size bark for the dendrobium.  Phals love to be repotted every one to two years in the spring time.  If the aerial roots will easily fit into the pot, do so but don't force them.  Dends do not like to be repotted very often so only repot after the flowers are gone and when the growths begin to grow over the pot edge.  By the way, for almost all orchids, it is best to use the smallest pot size that will contain the roots, too large a pot might lead to root rot.

Misting can help by increasing the humidity around the plant and blooms but only mist in the mornings to allow water droplets to evaporate before night fall.  

Hope this has helped.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.