Question
Hi, I got a healthy phal. orchid in Mar 07. At the time it had one flower shoot. The flowers died in Jul and I cut the spike after it turned brown. It did not bloom last winter and neither do I see a new spike forming this winter. I have been watering it on a need basis. It sits on my window facing east. It has grown a lot of new aerial roots and a couple of leaves meanwhile. How can I get it to bloom? It is still in the same pot as I got it. Should I repot it? Is now a good time to repot it? I have an orchid feed that I use occasionally. How often should I feed it?

Answer
Preeli, yes, this would be a good time to repot.  Repotting in a good fir-bark based potting mix will provide a better root environment and the reptting process will also allow you to examine the plants roots for any mushiness--a sign of root rot.  Before repotting in the fresh orchid potting mix, be sure to remove ant unhealthy roots.  Healthy roots are firm and, when wet, a greenish color as they contain chlorophyll.  Usually the new potting mix is a bit dry so it may need to be soaked while you are unpotting and cleaning the roots of your plant.  Just wet enough of the potting mix that you will be using and keep the rest dry for future repotting.  Be sure to use a pot (preferaably plastic) that has a lot of drainage holes in the bottom and/or sides.  This is not only to allow the potting mix to drain rapidly but also to promote air movement to the roots.  You may want to try to pot the plant deep enough to get some or all of the aerial roots into the fresh potting mix.

Growing the plant in a east window is good.  You may want to try a bloom booster fertilizer this time of year.  Use 1/4 tsp per gallon of water and use it once per week.  If you have a plant food that has a high middle number (e.g. 10/30/10), that should be fine.  If your plant's leaves are a dark grren, it is probably not getting enough light to promots flowering. If that is the case, you may want to add some supplemental lighting