What kind of media is your orchid potted in now? From the first picture, the aerial roots look a bit dry. Otherwise looks like a nice orchid.

I don't believe those ceramic pots are made to actually hold the orchid without the plastic inner pot. I believe the holes in the pot are to allow light and air to the roots.

It is hard to say what size pot you will need because sometimes some of the roots have rotted and need to be cut off. And also, you don't want to plant in a pot that is too big. So you might need a 6 inch pot, or maybe not. Sometimes, when I have repotted, I've just put the orchid back into the same pot.

Oh, I noticed that you posted this in Container Gardening. You might get more response if you posted in the Orchids Forum.

Some of those aerial roots are dead, so you can cut the dead ones off. There is some possibility that the media is relatively intact. Most of the roots in the pot appear to be healthy. If both of the above apply, I would just take out the orchid and media, snip off any dead roots and repot it back to adjust the roots better inside the pot. No matter how big a pot, you will find that the roots want to crawl out of the holes at the bottom. and sometimes try to jump out too if the top is heavy (plenty of large leaves.

Newhostalady,

Thanks for your reply! the medium is what I bought it in so I’m assuming orchid mix. Noted re:posting in Orchids. I’m afraid of killing the plant which is why I’m hesitating in cutting back the dead roots.

Getgoing: I have thought of snipping of the dead roots except I don’t know what’s dead or not. I purchased orchid media, so I’m wondering if I should remove the soil and replace it with new orchid soil. Btw, I live in NJ as well.

Thanks in advance!

I asked about what the media your plant was planted in because most of the time Phalaenopsis are planted in sphagnum moss. That suits the growers and sellers well as it doesn't dry out that fast. I have found that small orchids can be planted in sphagnum moss, but when they get bigger, the moss stays wet for too long and some of the roots rot.

You would do the roots a favour by cutting off the dead roots.

Why not get a 6 inch pot and if you don't need it, you can return it or keep it.

Yes, remove the old media. Make sure the orchid soil you bought isn't too big. Sometimes I've found huge pieces which suit larger orchids.

Any roots that feel empty are dead. Usually, dry dead roots are just papery and will not plump up even after watering. Any wet roots that are dead or dying are either empty or have slimy material that would just ooze out when pressed. Also dead roots would be brown and not green outside as well as inside. If unsure, check if the tip is alive. Snip a bit of the tip if it feels dead to see if it has a green velamen (fleshy root inner).

This is the result of snipping off the dead or slimy roots:

yup, those root look dehydrated. Dazed 77/Gita, good to know you are in NJ. Being a small state, it is still big enough to have many growing zones depending on the location.

Usually, it is advisable to water a few days after repotting, say a week, to allow any injured or cut roots to heal so as to minimize any sort of infection/rotting.