What is the potting material? What kind of conditions are the plants in (light, humidity, temps)? Have you seen any new roots on either and if so, what do they look like? Do you use any type of fertilizer? What are your watering habits?

We need more info. Generally, for beginners, a pot with no holes is a death sentence for Phals because people unfamiliar with orchids tend to overwater. That said, I have 3 Phals in pots without holes. I simply adjust my watering habits to accommodate the lack of drainage. They are doing fine.

Thanks for responding suzabanana~
Potting material- phal orchid mix with a little spagnum
Conditions- indirect southern exposure, pretty dry right now in my house, 68ish temp-wise
New roots are small, but healthy...no rot
Yes, I am fertilizing
Watering habits- very small amount, once a week

I am experienced in growing houseplants, but new to orchids. I have many plants and never over-water. Here is the other Phal, I spoke about with its last flower. There were at least 6 on 1 stem. Didn't do much and it looked great.

With the other one:
I suspect that bark/moss ratio is off. Too much bark, too much drainage? I replanted (in a pot without holes!), but put a bit more moss. The lack of humidity is a problem, as well. I know ideally, it should be in a pot with holes, but maybe if I let it get a bit more hydrated, I can put it in a different pot when it starts responding??
Let me know if I am on the right track and thanks!

scorpgirl, scan down this list of posts and go to the next page. There is a post there titled Ice cubes explained, or something similar. Down that thread a bit there is a post I wrote about the conditions most epiphytic orchids live in. That might be of some help to you.

Yes, you can grow orchids in pots with no holes for drainage. It is multiple times harder than using pots with holes, and the root rot will reach out and get you one day....I promise. It will happen when you are least expecting it, because your culture will always have to be absolutely perfect all the time to succeed with no holes for drainage.

Growing in a house is difficult enough without adding additional levels of challenge to what you are doing.

Bill

Can you post a photo of the other orchid?

Regarding getting Phals to bloom, you need a dip in temps for it to reliably produce a spike. Generally 10-20 degree dip in temp is best. I don't know what the deal is with producing more blooms on an old spike. Most here will tell you to cut the spike as soon as it's finished blooming to encourage the plant to put energy into root and leaf growth. I have been lazy and not cut the spike and had some additional blooms appear a few months later, but they don't tend to have as many blooms as a new spike.

I would guess that if your house is very dry, the pot with no holes is creating a micro-climate of higher humidity for your Phal, while the one with drainage is not. Eventually, the pot without holes will rot the roots, but how long that takes is anyone's guess. The Phal with drainage needs more water, especially if the leaves are limp. I would suggest once a week soaking the plant in it's pot with water for 20 mins to get it properly hydrated. If you plan to keep the different Phals in different pots, you will need to provide very different care for them. The one without drainage will require a small amount of water once a week and misting. The problem with the closed pot in the long term is that some roots will always be wet and eventually rot. It's possible that's part of the reason you have so many aerial roots (just guessing at this point) because the medium maybe rotting the roots in the pot. Have you checked those roots recently?

For reference, 2 of the 3 Phals I have in closed pots are "rehab" plants. They came to me mostly trashed. One had only 1 leaf and 2 decent roots - the rest was mush. It's currently growing 2 new leaves and many thick, strong roots. The other is a mini-Phal that was soaked in sphag (but blooming), so when it was done I repotted and found virtually no roots. It's now blooming again :) Eventually, they will both get repotted in a larger pot with holes. The 3rd Phal is actually a mini with it's keiki (baby plant) which are thriving in a too large plastic pot. I water it every other week. It's an anomaly.

ETA: I grow in a sunroom with nearly too much light for Phals. Dedicated humidifier, heater and fan.