"tbell" wrote in message .com...
On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:45:35 -0800, eclectic wrote
(in article ):

We have a phal which has performed well for the last two and a half years.
Since the anniversary of receiving this gift, it has had a succession of
bloom with a new spike about every three months. We are pleased with the
results but know it's beginners luck and apparently a good location (east
facing kitchen window). I confess that I haven't been fertilizing out of
ignorance and fear, but I have remembered to water it thoroughly once a
week. Any new leaf growth it has produced for us (four total in the two and
a half year period) has been healthy and progressively larger in size. How
do you know when to repot with new bark/soil?

It came in a 5 1/2" clay pot with a plastic liner filled with a bark-like
material. Should we wait to repot until after the current flowering period
ends? Right now there is a new spike among several aerial roots.


Good for you! You must be doing the important things right.

You could repot now, but if the plant looks that good, I'd suggest you hold
off repotting until this spike flowers and has faded. But it would be a good
idea to begin fertilizing it, "weakly, weekly," as the adage would have it.
About 1/4 the recommended strength of any orchid fertilizer, every week or
two when you water it, with a good flush of plain water instead to remove
built up salts every month or two.

If it's in bark or a bark mix, it's important to at least check the medium
and the roots every 2-3 years or when the plant fails to thrive. Remove any
soggy, dark roots, scrub and rinse the pot, and then place the orchid in
fresh medium, to just below the lowest healthy leaf. The lowest, oldest
leaves will naturally yellow and be shed as the plant grows upward.

Tom
Walnut Creek, CA
Nikon D200


Thanks for your advice Tom. For the next watering I'll start the fertilizing
cycle and meanwhile look in the stores for the bark/soil mix for orchids.

Regards, Phil