Question
Hi, Wayne.  Someone was throwing out a beautiful orchid and I volunteerd to take it on as a project.  The leaves are fine, but the flower stalk was completely dead, so I cut that back to 2" above the soil.  I have a new glazed ceramic pot to put it in, but the soil confounds me.  The current medium is more of a sphagnum moss, with styrofoam peanuts at the bottom.  It is so dried that it holds NO water.  I presume that I should not use standard potting soil?  What to do for drainage, since the new pot has no holes?

Answer
Hi Kelly.  You need to locate a source of orchid potting mix in which to plant your phal.  Many garden centers have this including Home Depots and Lowes.  This potting mix may contain one or more of the following ingredients: fir bark, perlite, osmunda, tree fern, expanded clay, and charcoal.  The potting mix for orchids is very special and provides a balance between increased air flow to the roots and some ability to retain moisture at the roots.

It is essential that you repot your orchid to this more suitable potting mix.  Also, you should repot your plant into a plastic pot with lots of drainage holes.  Phals should not be in standing water.  You can water and feed your orchid outside of your glazed ceramic pot in the plastic pot and after it has drained thoroughly, you can place the plastic pot into the ceramic pot. Each time you water, remove the plastic pot from the ceramic container and repeat the process of watering/feeding and draining. If, in the process of unpotting your plant you notice any mushy roots, remove them as they are dead, before repotting.  You may water your newly repotted phal once per week (thoroughly) and feed weakly (1/4 tsp of plant food per gallon of water).  Temp should be 65-85 degrees.  An east window is best for growing the plant.