Hi, Jane,

The answer is as clear as the pot. Leave it alone. You say the root system
is terrific; that's great. If you saw rot in there, then I'd say to repot,
but under the circumstances you're fine.

Aside from holding some moisture and nutrients when you feed/water, the bark
does not contribute to the overall health of your plant. On the other hand,
rotted bark can substantially harm the root system.

Diana

"Jane" wrote in message
...
I just bought a new phal. It's in a 4" pot. The flower spike is
about 18" high with two branches. It has three beautiful large blooms
and about 12 buds. It has four large healthy leaves and is growing a
new one.

The pot is clear and I can see that it's absolutely filled with
roots. They are growing over the top and through the drain holes.
I'd say there's about 60 - 70% roots, the rest is bark.

I'm in a quandary. Should I leave it alone since it is doing so
wonderfully well or should I repot it so there can be more bark mix
for nutrients? I absolutely don't want to lose the blooms and buds.

Normally I repot my phals when the finish blooming. If they don't
need a larger pot then I just change the potting mix. If all goes
well it could be months before this phal stops blooming.

What should I do???

thanks