A close-up of the green growth:

Very odd that all of a sudden, this seems to have woken up and started growing -- it's really flourished since last summer. I'll see if the phal's flowering is affected this spring...fingers crossed it won't be too late to untangle this mess if it turns out to be a bad guy.

I get this in my orchids in sphagnum. I think it's algae from the wet environment because it only grows on the top layer. It's harmless and quite normal. It's recommended to freshen up the sphagnum moss about every year anyway so I don't really worry about it.

The plant is overwatered. Let it dry out. What you see is a type of fern which grows in wet conditions. Remember, these plants grow attached to trees. Their roots are completely exposed to the air, wind and rain. They do not grow in the ground.

Their roots need air circulation. Please cut back on your watering. You can just pull the fern out, it won't harm the plant.

Jane

I wasn't aware it was a fern, I thought it was just algae - LOL. But Jane that's good advice as phals seem to do a lot better with a dry period and tiny pot. A lot of advice says they want lots of moisture but it definitely needs to be moderated. I have started growing these in LECA as even bark is too wet for my UK climate and my root systems were turning to mush even with no moss. I'm also trying some that lost all their roots in semi hydro to see if I can get some new roots going. I only have miltoniopsis orchids in sphagnum moss and I just water it when it feels lightly damp so I do get this green appearance to my moss. I get accordion pleated leaves if I leave my miltoniopsis moss to get properly dry. I do mix styrofoam and perlite to stop it compacting. They didn't seem to like bark.

Thanks, jane and Al. Oddly, this is one of my least watered orchids (realizing that doesn't mean it's not overwatered) -- pretty much 'pour-through' maybe once every couple of weeks, lightly misted every 2-3 days, but very thoroughly soaked prior to out-of-town vacations 4x annually. It sits in a mixed bark/sphagnum/perlite medium, and the plastic container has air holes poked in the sides and bottom -- lots of air flow and drainage, I think. I do think this is a good time to carefully pull the fern out before it overtakes.

Perhaps a very low bar to set, but I'm a novice: if the leaves and roots look fairly healthy, and the plant flowers, I feel I'm doing something right. :)

It's recommended to freshen up the sphagnum moss about every year anyway -- something I'll really need to work on.

What you see is the sphagnum moss growing. Is it growing in moss? It might have some even if it planted mostly in bark. It is probably too wet in the media you have it in. Moss needs to be replaced frequently every 6-8 months because it breaks down fast. This causes the roots to rot. Bark would be a good way to go. Growers place orchids in moss because plants grow fast in it and they have the right conditions to water and grow them which are not the same as home growing.

I wondered if maybe that wasn't baby sphagnum sprouting up. Yes, the orchid is in a ~ 1/3 moss + 2/3 bark mix. Over the years, I've given the media plenty of time to dry out (sometimes, from forgetting to water for a week to 10 days at a stretch), so I guess moss can be dormant.

Another question for you orchid experts: how can one tell if sphagnum has broken down? I read this periodically, but when I change out my moss, it doesn't look much different from when I originally pull a fresh batch out of the bag and rehydrate it. Thanks!

ETA: tiarella -- I have read that the very first thing to do, after bringing an orchid home from the store, is to repot and get the roots out of the crammed, soppy mess it's been sitting in. Such terrific advice.

I love sphagnum for my minis! :-) I grow my regular size phals in bark. But if they arent doing well, whether they seem to be staying too wet or too dry, adding good quality sphagnum moss helps. It is great for wicking and keeping the moisture in the pot more consistent throughout.

I have 10 phals. The ones grown in straight sphag seem to have the healthiest roots, and the most root growth.

My most reliable bloomer and the most vigorous grower (p. "surf song") is grown in 50/50...but it really just looks like a ball of roots in the pot at this point, I can barely see the medium anymore! Roots love fresh sphag!

When it gets broken down it starts to look like a muddy mess when wet, it loses its 'springiness'.

Long fiber sphagnum moss will last about 6-9 months and bark will last about 1-2 years. Orchiata bark outlasts regular bark and lasts up to 5 years but it is expensive! Hopefully it needs replanting at about 3 years old. Moss is prefered by growers because them can manipulate conditions to meet their needs. And it is cheap. Our home conditions don't match the grower's conditions so it's a good idea to replant after flowering or in the spring when new growth appears.