Are you talking about a clear plastic soft liner? I've seen a few of those where presumably the plant is grown in the
"clear pot" in the nursery and then the whole lot is popped into another pot for sale.
As for Spag. as a potting material, some people use it with great results!
Sorry, not much help!

That description sounds fairly accurate. A clear pot inside a pot. I'm just watering c kid gloves at this point; I don't want to overwater. I'll stay c the sphagnum as long as the plants stay healthy.
Do Phals like to be potbound?

I purchased two just yesterday. They, too, were in the moss. Since I've killed every plant that came in moss, I unpotted them last night. Root rot was already setting in on one plant. The growers use a ball of moss tucked up right into the base of the plant and that was where the rot was starting. If I hadn't unpotted them, I wouldn't have know since the outer roots in the clear plastic pot looked great.

I trimmed off the rot and the plants are sitting, with no medium, in clay pots right now in order for them to dry out a bit and the cuts to seal. I'll put them in moist CHCs later today.

This process won't necessarily affect the blooms and right now they look great. It's important to me to have the plant healthy and sacrifice the blooms if need be.

Interesting, and scary too.
What size/type of pot do you recommend, and what mix?
Each plant has six leaves and are at the height /beginning of bloom.

Hi Leaf,
Right now the pot is full of moss not roots, so it can go back into the same pot. I like the idea of clear plastic because it helps to monitor the health of the roots. You could cut holes/slits in the liner you have and insert it into a more decorative pot.

As for mix - I'm using Coconut Husk Chips. I'm use to them and their water holding capacity. Plus, I've been reading that many orchid growers have discovered them. I'll attach a link to their use.

If you decide to try them you may be able to locate them at your nearby "hydro" store. Bear in mind that they will need several soakings and rinses before use to remove possible salts.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Gail

Here is a link that might be useful: Use of CHCs

This post was edited by monet_g on Fri, Mar 29, 13 at 12:16

Thanx Gail, esp the tip about soaking to get rid of salts.

The theory about clear pots for Phalaenopsis and their close relations Sarcochilus is that those green roots are performing photosynthesis for the plant.

As to the mix. It depends a lot on your conditions and how warm you keep your Phal(s) over winter. Too cold and wet is a recipe for disaster.

I am now using coarse treated pine bark + perlite. The coming "winter" will tell the tale.

Mine seem to be doing fine. I just gave them a drench the other day and I won't water again until almost dry. I'll keep an eye on them and repot after blooming.
My temp is around 68 degrees F, maybe a little higher during the day. I keep them back from the window to keep them warm at night and also out of the direct sun . My humidity is quite low, but I mist daily and have lots of other plants, which raises ambient humidity.