In nature they grow on the sides of trees, usually with the roots growing up and the leaves going down.

You can try turning the pot the other way and it should start leaning the other way.

When you repot you can put it back in center, then try to turn the pot every couple days to try to keep it in the middle. I usually just let them lean over, it helps keep water out of the crown.

So the leaves don't care which way is up?

Here is a picture of one in the wild from the internet. It’s not that they don’t care which way is up, it’s more that what they think is up is not the same as what you think.

Some are more determined to turn around than others, it depends on the genetics of the plants in its background.

Huh, good to know. I guess I thought shiny side was supposed to be up, but I'm pretty much an orchid novice. I knew they grew on trees, but I'd only seen them in pots and botanical gardens ... varying angles but shiny side up. I'll just let it do its thing I guess!

I assume you are growing inside? If sun was coming overhead, rather from the side, the leaves would orient toward the light. The roots are another story. They are looking for something to attach to, like a tree!

Its normal, your potting mix looks wet (maybe you just watered), but when the mix breaks down, many roots will head outside the pot.

Jane

Yes, it grows inside on a cabinet inside a southern window with sheers. It leans north, into the room. Maybe it thinks the living room light is the sun? That's what it would be leaning towards. It gets watered based on the media and root color (the plastic pot is one of those clear ones with slots in it). I think it was watered yesterday. It gets watered by letting the inner pot sit in a cup of water for around 10 minutes, then it drip drains over the sink before returning to its ceramic pot. Is that too saturating for it?

Here are its roots if it helps:

And thinking about it, it was watered Thursday, not Friday.

I think its leaves should be facing the light source. It looks like they are twisting around to face the other way.

Light sources are as follows:

window: behind it (I'm standing in front of the window to take the first picture)

living room light: across the dining room in the direction it's aimed (on usually from when it gets dim until we go to bed)

kitchen light: through the doorway seen behind it (on from dim to bed)

dining room light: in the direction that the cabinet corner is pointing, but it's not on much, (daytime or early evening if it is on)

Root pictures were taken with it sitting on the kitchen counter because I could get a better picture there.

In the photo, the newest leaf twisted to the window. The next leaf will emerge toward the window, eventually the plant will facing the other way.

I think you need to turn it around to face the window. That's why the leaves are twisting. I don't think they'll untwist at this point but the new leaves will grow normally. It is also quite normal for a phalaenopsis to lay flat in its pot like that. Almost all of mine do.

I've grown a lot of Phals, and I don't think that one "grew" that way. It just fell over, very slowly as the anchoring roots rotted. You have some healthy looking air roots but not those connecting the plant to the soil. Looks like it has been overwatered at some point, and the light is a little low. I would repot ASAP. Orchid bark can work for some people who develop a feel for how to water it, but for you I would strongly recommend switching it to 100% long-fiber sphagnum moss. The beauty of it is that it will speak to you and tell you exactly which day is best to water, by both a texture and a color change. The signals are unmistakable and very different from bark, which can stay wet at the bottom of the pot for extended periods without you knowing about it.

Abandon the inner plastic pot and just use the outer orchid pot. All those holes will help the mix dry better. Also quit soaking it to water. Just use the standard pour-thru method. Soaking increases the overall water volume and water cycle times significantly, which you do not want.

Okay, I think we need more sphag, but we'll repot as soon as we get some. We've gone with half and half, bark and moss, though possibly a little heavier on bark this time due to using the end of the moss. Maybe while the outer roots would get silvery, the middle of the media/roots were still soggier? We'll take pictures when we repot.

We did turn it around (facing the window).

Tom, I can not grow a Phal for the life of me in bark, even if bark is mixed in with anything else. I do have great success with what you said to do after years of trying. You are right.

Mike

Sphagnum has been ordered ... I picked the stuff that was advertised as AAA grade from New Zealand, as some of the others had some mixed reviews regarding debris in the moss, and it came in a resealable bag.

So the recommendation is to skip the bark entirely and put it directly in the ceramic pot (no plastic pot). How loose should the moss be? And it should be planted upright and centered? Any other tips?

In the ceramic pot, what do we watch for in terms of watering? We have been watching for the roots visible through the clear pot to turn silvery as an indicator. Right now the media feels relatively dry to touch (though looks moister), but they are still bright green, so we take that to mean wait.

I am lousy at growing orchids without seeing the roots. Just plain ole lousy after trying for years. I’m ok with dendrobium though anything that likes to dry out very well and can even take a beating. But for me Phal’s are not as forgiving whether over watering or not enough water so I use clear.
I’ve been told by a orchid member to moisten the Sphagnum moss then pack in around the roots nice and snug. Not too loose and to hard packed.
Let’s see what others have to say. All I know is that this method works for mine.
By the way. Maybe the reason why they grow like that in trees in the wild is because this allows for water drainage in the crown that prevents rot. It makes sense by natures point of view..

I'm a little late to the game...

I grow several phals, mostly in bark mixes, a few in spagh and 1 or 2 mounted. I think the 'leaning' can be partly generic (all my violaceas for example grow sideways, they don't lean towards light) and most plants will 'lean' towards the light. I have several non-violaceas phals that are 'leaners/grow sideways' and as I use overhead lights, they aren't leaning from reaching for light. Sometimes they just grow that way. If it gets too ugly, I'll use a couple of stakes to hold the plant more upright. If I'm growing a phal or other plant in front of a window, I turn the plant 180 degrees when I water.

I think your phal looks pretty healthy other than the lean, so I'm not sure I'd change the culture techniques. I don't think this is a light issue, as it is falling over or it's just the way it grows not leaning. I would repot to see how the buried roots look, as Tom mentioned they look questionable and may be a factor. If they are brown and rotted, clean them up, repot as upright as possible and water less.

The spagh vs bark argument is constant, IMO it is more about how you water than what media you use. As I said above I use both and water when needed. For me that is 1x a week when they are indoors and varies based on conditions/media when they are outside. Mounties get special treatment year round.

Bob

Okay, so the sphagnum is here and the medium is currently dry. I think we're going to stick with the plastic pot, so we can see what's going on, though we'll try mixing it up with top watering. I'll take pictures of the roots when I repot. Do I leave the root that's green on the end but brown closer in or remove it? You can see one going off to the left here:

Also, do I put the air root that's running off the bottom of the picture down into the media to help it maybe stay upright?

I would keep the root that is partially green, but don't be surprised if it ends up dieing off. Every little bit of 'help' in re-establishing is a plus. As far as the smaller root, I'd try to get the top of the media/spagh right below that root, if you 'bury' it, it will most likely die off from the change from aerial to buried.

I'll be interested in the buried roots, based on how the plant looks I'd think there were some viable ones.

Good luck,

Bob

I agree with Bob. Don't try to stuff aerial roots down into the media. Those roots are looking for something to attach to. I grew for many years in NY and used spagh as a top dressing, in winter to prevent them from drying out. I would just spray the spagh to keep it moist during winter. I removed the sphag when spring came around.

I agree that you must be moving the position of the Phal. Keep it in the same position toward the window. Make sure the leaves are facing the window.

During the winter, increase light levels and keep the plant warm, they are tropical. I had used a octopus type floor lamp to maintain light levels during long, grey winter months.

I have never grown them in pure sphag in NY. I always mixed sphag with the bark. I always soak the bark overnight before repotting.

Phals can be very tricky to grow up North. I learned by many mistakes over the years. But my method proved successful for me...finally! Phals are always making aerial roots as they look for something (tree) to attach to. They are not meant to be in pots.

I used bark, well soaked before potting. I put a 'winter coat of sphag' on the surface of the pot during the winter months only. It helped keep those air roots hydrated and kept the bark below from drying out too fast in winter.

In nature, they grow on the sides of trees, not in the ground. Those roots want bark to attach to.

Watch your watering and only water when, a finger stuck down in the pot feels barely moist. In winter, check more often. A little bit of sphag mixed in the bark will help maintain some moisture. But you must not overwater. Remember they grow on trees not in dirt. They get watered when it rains and it drains off quickly and dries off. The roots are never sitting in a wet media or earth. They like a little moisture, but not wet. They like warmth.

Buy a few more. It will take your attention away from this lone orchid. You'll get the hang of it. Don't give up.

Jane

Gah!!! My post went poof. Let's try again ... in multiple posts.

Here we go again:

I think it should have been watered yesterday, but it was also supposed to be repotted two days ago ... we finally got here, though.

Straight out of the pot:

Take ... 3? We'll go slow.

Here it is fresh out of the pot:

I think it should have been watered yesterday, but we were planning to repot a couple days ago and then again yesterday, and that didn't quite happen until today ...

Here it is as we removed the old medium:

It got a quick drink while I dumped the debris outside:

We removed these:

We used these to repot:

(Bark was soaked for days ...)

Still a bit sideways:

(This is its room ... it's primary window is to the left of the sewing machine.)

After it went back to the kitchen for repositioning:

(Enjoying some Irish cream, haha.)

I think you did a great job, just water occasionally and let it be for a while.

Bob

Wanted to update how the orchid's doing now ...

We managed to get the leaf to flip back right-side-up ... We actually set it up with a ribbon restraint for a bit (tied a ribbon between two skewer stakes to prevent it from flopping forward onto the new leaf that was coming up), and now it goes the correct direction and the new leaf is several inches long!

Thank you. What a great job. It’s one happy plant by the looks of it!

Good job! It looks nice and healthy. Did you get flowers this year?

Jane

No, it doesn't like us that much ... should I send it to the basement to think about what it's done (or hasn't done)?

Or does it need to be fed? It bloomed late March 2020, but we have no idea what we did to trigger it, haha.

If you live in a place that gets colder, like I do, just being in a window works great for mines even in warmer rooms because near the window always gets pretty cool at night. You could try that too. All mine never fail to bloom on window sills.