If something is not broken why fix it? You said it's happy and growing so leave it. For me though I prefer a bark mix I tend to overwater.the phal looks to be in spagnum now spagnum tends to compact after a while and prevents proper air flow which in turn soffocate the roots.

It's advisable to change the potting medium of phals every two to three years yours look very brown suggesting it's getting old.Now considering it will spend another entire growing season in that same medium if it was ME I would give it a repot with bark medium and since it's already in growing mode it's the best time. Also you can see the outer roots but what about the middle of the plant? I would repot, and at least I would know my orchid would be good for another year or two, but it's really up to you, this is just what I would do.Velleta

I would repot it, but use ONLY Orchid Fir Bark. Other orchid mediums are too moist.

I beg to differ, almost any media can be used, you just have to tailor your watering regime (and perhaps climate) to accomodate it. However, I agree that a coarser better draining medium than moss is preferred.

And also that the roots are encircling and would probably enjoy new media and being spread out some.

Thanks velleta tardiel, arctic tropical and dbarron!

I think I'm going to go with my gut and repot her. The roots look like they need a little bit of space and maybe the change in medium will give that. Hopefully I won't discover any root rot in the middle.

I repotted my first Phal into a bark medium with a little sphagnum moss. That first Phal suffered from terrible root rot. It's recovering slowly but at least it's recovering - that's a different story altogether but my point was I might use that same mix for this one.

My next questions would then be

1. Do I use the same pot and just change the medium? I've been told several times that orchids like being packed tight but I wasn't sure if that applied to lots of root growth. I could potentially swap pots with my first Phal that's in a bigger pot but it's gone down in size and could work in the smaller pot while it regrows new roots.

2. After I change the medium, do I replace the plant the way it is now (i.e. roots at the bottom of the pot)?

This is a photo of the medium I intend to use...

Well, I'd do my best to spread the roots out. A mature phal should be able to be repotted into the same pot...overpotting is usually unwise. Depending on size of the phal, I'd say a 4 to 6 inch pot would do as a final destination. Maybe a 3 1/2 if one of those puny little mini phals :)

I've used as much as 50% unmilled spagnum before myself in a mixture with quite coarse bark chunks and maybe some porous lava rock, it depends on your growing conditions and watering habits. Phals revel in constant moisture while also having good oxygen penetration throughout the root system. I found the fluffiness the unmilled moss gave to give quite a boost to the orchid growth rate. However, I am not sure it would work where I live now with much higher humidity, I think it would stay wet too long.

My question is, do you have to use those "orchid" pots everyone sells or can any potting container as long as it has some "holes"?

There are really no rules, you can do as you like as long as you can make it work for you.
The more air you get...the better (in the case of epiphytic orchids) usually.
I currently have a dendrobium in a plastic dixie cup till I find an appropriate pot (which I feel the dixie cup is not..but it can temporarily do, with some extra holes).

The roots of phalaenopsis are green because they contain chlorophyll and help photosynthesize for the plant. This is why most people use clear/transparent plastic orchid pots, so the roots can be exposed to sunlight, along with the leaves. This helps them produce more food to grow stronger and healthier. I would say that it would be best to repot back into the clear pot it came in. Tho going up another pot size would be fine too. Phalaenopsis don't really get any bigger than they already are once they're full grown.

If I were to recommend a pot, I would have to go with the Oxygen Core Dual™ Pots. These wonderful pots are sold online by RePotMe. I bought a couple of these pots to try out, and I loved them so much that I went and ordered some more. They sell them in a range of different sizes. The 5.5" pots are just the perfect size for most Phals.

The inner net pot holds all of the media (I use 50% sphagnum moss & 50% bark/perlite/charcoal blend). This replicates the perfect humid environment for you orchid's roots, while giving them plenty of fresh air. All of my orchids love these pots. :)

^ You may notice the white nylon string that I have running thru the drain holes in the outer pot. I have them tied down the the wooden table so that they can't move. I live in Tornado Alley, and during Tornado Season, we can get some pretty fierce thunderstorms rolling thru. Before I did this, my pots used to get knocked around all the time. Which gets old pretty fast. This has proven very useful in keeping my 'chids secured and in one place. If I need to handle any of my plants, the I just remove the inner net pot(s). Just be careful if any new roots happen to be growing out of the net pot, because they can be easily broken.

Thanks so much! Really really helpful stuff. I'm feeling much more confident about what I want to do now.

I've learned the most with my mistakes on my plants, but I've grown very attached to these 2 plants and don't really want to 'experiment' too much with them. I'm determined to be rewarded with blooms in the future.

My first Phal (suffered from root rot) had big flowers. The second one (the healthier one) had smaller flowers but I've seen smaller ones that look like the mini ones you're referring to.

I think I'm going to move the second phal to a slightly larger pot - definitely clear. Only because the roots don't look like they have much room anymore. I can still use the bark mix to provide the 'compact' environment.

drich30099, both current pots are clear and have holes at the bottom. The first Phal I have that's in the photo of the bark mix is in a clear pot that's in an opaque one that's more sturdy and can stand up.

Photo Synthesis, those pots look really good! I'm looking into them tonight and will hopefully know how long it will take to ship to Australia. Thanks for the tip!

If I can also add, phal 1 is in a 4.5" (diameter) pot, while second phal is in a 3.5" pot. If that's at all relevant for any further thoughts.

Every orchid grower has lost some plants along the way. Don't let it get to you if/when it does happen. Just chalk it up as a learning experience. With orchid pots, bigger isn't necessarily better. If the roots can fit back comfortably into the same pot it was in, then I'll usually just do that. Or just go up to a slightly bigger pot. Just like I mentioned previously, their roots also photosynthesize, just like the leaves do. So providing them access to bright indirect sunlight helps them make even more food for your plant, helping to keep it growing strong and healthy.

This is why I think that the Oxygen Core Dual™ pots work great. Whoever designed them knew what they were doing. They let your orchid's roots get all of the fresh air they need, while keeping them nice and humid. As long as their roots have access to plenty of fresh air, you will never have to worry about roots rotting. No matter how much you water them.

Like I mentioned earlier, my location gets battered with plenty of thunderstorms. We just got soaked with rain nonstop all day yesterday, and all of my orchids loved it. I used to worry about them getting overwatered, but now it doesn't even concern me. I still keep a watchful eye out for it, but I haven't had to deal with it in several years now.

Oh yea, one more thing, my orders from RePotMe.com each came with a free 2.75" dual core pot. I used these for my mini phals and they love them as well. I love collecting the mini phals now and am always on the lookout for ones that catch my eye. :)

My only issue with the oxygen core pots is: What to do when the roots completely entangle the net basket? It may be hard to move up to another pot as it grows.

Bob

They sell the net pots by themselves for about a couple bucks. To save on shipping & handling, just order some extra along with the dual core pots and have it all shipped together. Then, when you need to repot your orchids later on, you can just cut away the old net pot.

Another option is to just turn the pots over and knock out the old potting mix, leaving the orchid in the net pot. Then just add the new mix to the pot, slowly working it into and around the roots. There's no sense taking the orchid out of the pot, if you're just going to repot it back into the same pot. That's what I've done before.