It probably does need a repot and a bit of a tidy up, but it is in pretty good shape. Be aware that they will always lean over towards the light, perhaps more so if you have it a bit far from the window and the light source.

Tears and leaf damage is unfortunate but I am leaving the leaves on one of mine alone despite the fact that a caterpillar ate great chunks of the leaf when I wasn't looking.

Should I just try to make the newest leaves point upwards when I repot? If all of the old leaves will be left, the plant will basically be lying on the bark. It's fallen over, about 90°. Or should I remove some of the oldest ones?

My first question is, I see a ceramic pot in one picture and a plastic pot below. Did you have the plastic pot inside the ceramic pot or did you just transfer to the plastic pot?

2nd, when was the last time you inspected and or changed the growing medium?

If there is bark or moss in the medium, that should be inspected every year and changed every two years because it breaks down and causes all sorts of problem down the line. The worst of which is mold, mildew and fungus which will eventually kill the plant if not caught in time.

As long as the plant is not in bloom, it can be re-potted, at which time you can straighten out the stalk and stake it. But they do have a tendency to lean and that's the nature of the plant.

Phals need to breath and air circulation is critical around the roots (that's why you see so many roots above the base), so I'm not that fond of plastic pots in that regard ... UNLESS it has a lot of holes as in NETPOTS.

I transferred some of mine in Net pots (though a bit pricey), but they are doing so much better. JMO

The plastic pot has been inside the ceramic pot ever since I bought it. The medium has never been changed or inspected since buying it in... probably 2012 or 2013, so it's long overdue, I realise now. The medium seems to be some sort of bark, much the same as (I'm guessing) most orchids are sold with.

The plant is not in bloom at the moment. I understand that it can lean a bit, I have several plants that does the same. I've just become a lot better at rotating them regularly than I was when I bought this (one of my first plants).

I'll look around and see if I can find some netpots. If I can't, what would you recommend? Putting it directly in the ceramic pot? Should I go up in size too, you think? The only thing I've ever heard is that it's good to use these transparent pots for orchids, so I never thought about it.

So... I should get new (bark) medium, possibly a new netpot, and then repot and stake it up straighter?

Thank you so much for responding! :)

Transparent pots are good for inspecting the root system of the plant without disturbing the plant. However, the more holes the better for not only drainage but also for air circulation.

The other thing I've learned about Phals is that they don't require depth, and when some of the roots are exposed to air the better. They don't like being suffocated in the medium either so it's wise to keep the top of the root system above the medium.

What to use ?? Hummm? I had them in an 8" Azealia clay pots, but that dept isn't necessary. About half that dept should be sufficient and I would try using the smaller bark because Phals like being on the damp side. "DAMP" means not wet or soaking wet. They require a bit more water than a Cattleya so while the large bark is good for Catts, smaller is good for Phals.

I have my Phals right now in an 8" net pots which will fit nicely inside a clay pot, and that's probably what I'll end up doing. Only because I have a ton of 8" clay pots and I don't want to re-invest in pots.

If you can't find net pots, I would try the clay pot. But if you want to get clear plastic pots, just drill more holes on the sides (the more, the better).

Check out the medium that was being used before and maybe try to duplicate that because it seems to be working.

See the thread "How do you grow your Paphs" for other suggestions on the medium to use. JMO ...... Good Luck.

Thank you. I feel a lot more ready for this repot now! I'll look around and see what I can find, pot-wise. And then I'll just have to buy some new bark. I know a local place that should have what I need.

It looks pretty healthy! When you put it in a new pot, you can straighten it and pot it a little deeper in the bark. Just a heads up: you may wonder how the heck you're going to get it back in any pot once you pull it out and dump the old bark! I sort of use my palm and turn and turn the plant, wrapping the the roots around themselves, and then place the whole root monster in the pot. Then I put in handfuls of new bark and lightly tap the pot on the counter to work it all the way down through the roots. The roots will probably take off growing immediately, and will soon be firmly in it's new pot.

Also, to keep in mind when repotting: a little bit of a "lean" isn't a bad thing. It really helps to keep the water out of the crown of the plant. I wasn't really happy with how I set the plant on the right when I repotted. However, I never have to worry about water collecting in the crown. The plant on the left seems more well-situated, but I'm constantly blotting water out of the center. This worries me a little, since I lost the first plant's potmate when I split them; I also planted that one more centered in the pot and wasn't vigilant about water in the crown, and it rotted.

Personally, I'm not a fan of leaning phals. So in my experience and whether you repot or not (I would), you can always use a few sticks/supports to help push the leaning parts straighter. Over time they will start to straighten on their own. I've done this many times with my phals. One caveat, it usually works better if you catch them a little sooner.

As mentioned, if you turn them 1/2 or 1/4 turn weekly, it 'helps' to prevent the leaning.

Good luck,

Bob

When you repot, wet the new bark first. You can put it in a bowl and run water over it, then dump the water out. Or use a colander.