I have worked with a Japanese man for several years in a greenhouse. He grows orchids, terrestrial and epiphytes at home. I have watched many, many videos online for repotting Phalaenopsis orchids. Every video I have seen shows taking the orchid from its pot and shoving it into a much larger one. Pots several inches larger some of these plants are shoved into even when they are in full bloom. This man has taught me to keep the plant in its original container. Only repot if the growing medium has degraded; and when it has, take it out of the pot, get rid of the old medium from the pot and the roots, wrap the roots back around the container, and fill it in with new medium (preferably bark).

He feeds his plants with Muskie emulsion and they bloom prolifically. He puts them outside in the summer and they are of course inside in the winter. He has absolutely no direct sun on his property inside and out.

I guess I would like to know is, how many people put their orchids into large pots and then have success with them? What do you plant them in and what do you feed them? Of course if you live further south than us obviously that is your secret! If you live in zone 4-5 please tell me your success story!