Question
About a month ago I received a phalaenopsis orchid known as a moth
orchid with white/pink in the center flowers. The plant bloomed and now
the flowers are dying and falling off. I cut down one stem halfway and
I'm waiting for the other stem to drop the flowers in order to cut it. I
understand that after the blooms die it is a good time to re-pot, right?
The question is, when I re-pot should I cover all the roots with the
potting mix? or should I leave some roots hanging out of the pot. Right
now the plant has about 5 roots growing out of the pot, I don't know if
this is normal or if it means that the pot is too small for the plant. Also,
some of the roots seem to be drying out. They have areas that are
silver/green and others that are getting brown and dry. I don't know
what to do with these roots. Are they normal? Also, I heard that the
purpose of the roots that come out of the pot is to obtain water from the
air, is this correct?
Thank you so much!

Answer
Hello Carolina,

From your description of what has been happening with your phalaenopsis orchid, things seem to be fairly normal.  

The best time to repot it is after all the flowers have died and fallen off.  As for the roots growing outside the pot, if they are still fairly short you can try putting them into the pot when you repot it.  But, if they will not easily fit into the pot, it is okay to leave them out.  If left out, it would be a good idea to lightly mist them in the morning to help maintain moisture and humidity around them.  Healthy roots will be silvery or grey in color with a green tip (the growing end).  Brown roots are probably rotten and dead and can be cut off as they no longer serve a useful purpose.  

While some roots will grow out of the pot seeking moisture, many times it also can be an indication that the potting mix is beginning to go bad and should be replaced with fresh new mix.  

Lastly, when repotting, try to use the smallest size pot that will contain the roots as too large a container is inviting root rot due to the mix staying wet for too long a time.  

Hope this was helpful.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.