I've re-potted many a Taiwanese Phal jam-packed in Sphagnum moss, into bark. Most make it but only after almost all of their roots die and the plants essentially start from scratch with new roots. Pretty precarious. I'm wondering if there's a better way of dealing with roots accustomed to sphag, that have to be adjusted to bark to survive in my climate???

I ask because I've been given a lovely little Phal/Dtps from someone who does not want to take care of it. It's packed tight in sphag in a soft plastic pot. The green roots look fantastically healthy (except for some rot at the very base) and are pushing and distorting the plastic even though they have no access to air. It's tempting to leave the plant as is, because it looks so great, but we're in Autumn now and I fear it won't make it through Winter if I leave it in compacted sphag ... yet re-potting at this time of year may be even worse, given that all those plump bright green roots will most likely die in bark.

What to do? Is there a method for transplanting out of sphag that I don't know about? Or a way to keep Phal/Dtps thriving in sphag through Winter??? Phals/Dtps grow so fantastically in Sphag here in Summer - much, much better than in bark - but in Winter the opposite is usually true.