Question
I was given a pansy orchid plant a few months ago. Since this time the two stems, 16 flowers in total have died which I understand is normal .. My question(s) is I noticed when watering the other day that the roots look very brown to me .. there are a few green roots but they too are starting to dry and crack .. I really don't want to loose this plant as it's so pretty!

Also when watering I saw a bunch of little mites, almost transparent crawling everywhere around the roots/pot mix. I am not entirely sure what they are or how to take care of this problem. I should let you know that this is an indoor plant ..

thanks for your time!

Answer
Hello Heather,

From your description of your phalaenopsis orchid, it sounds like it probably needs to be repotted.  Repotting isn't very difficult, it just takes a little time.  

First, purchase a small bag of orchid potting media.  When you are ready to repot, gather a cutter or shear along with the media.  If you are going to do it indoors, place several layers of newspaper on the floor or table as this will make clean up easier when you're done (just roll it up and throw away).  Take the plant out of the pot, remove as much of the old media from the roots as you can.  Clean the pot of media and wash it with soap and water.  Check the roots to see if there are any that are soft and mushy, if there are, cut them off as they are dead.  Hopefully only a few need to be cut off.  Check the plant for insects (you can try soaking the entire plant in a bucket of lukewarm water for about 30 minutes and the bugs will leave).  Place a little media in the pot then lower the roots into it until the bottom leafs are just above the pot rim and the plant is about centered.  Fill the pot with media until it is full then gently press down on it to slightly compress it and add more media as needed.  When you are done, water it and place it in a warm shady place for several weeks then move it to your growing area.  

Hope this helped.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.