Going to repot my Phal

[nmcarrizal]

Just want to double check that I have the right supplies. I actually bought these liners from boxstore to use inside my terra cotta pot. I hope that's ok. My orchids are in clear liners now and inside another pot. I like that fact that I can see what's going on inside. I bought an phal orchid mix which consists of bark, charcoal, and perlite. I dont have any peanuts, what else can i use? I have the rocks that I was going to use under the pot for humidity? I have seen some ppl who use peanuts and some use all mix?

I know i'm supposed to sterilize all my tools, and was planning on using peroxide. Also the plants I have are all in one pot, I was planning on moving them to their own 6 inch pots. Is there such a thing as too big of a pot for an orchid? I could only find 6 and 4, the 4 inch seemed way too small. Anything else I'm missing?

[Cjcorner]

There are a few things you can use instead of peanuts...actually I take the sheets of styrofoam from packages and break it into chunks. It works the same. I have also used rocks, shells, as well as very large chunks of wood. Make sure and clean whatever you use first to avoid fungus. As far as pot size...you want to use one that will allow for 1-2 years of root growth. Anything too large will mean a better chance of root rot from wood holding too much water. Some orchids even prefer a smaller pot...such as dendrobiums. They like to be nice and root bound. One other thing...using rocks...I wouldn't put them in the mix unless its a small pot as they will end up weighing down the mix and not allowing for air exchange. Orchid roots will die if not allowed enough air. Unlike regular houseplants they must have air exchange or they will rot.
As far as sterilizing tools, I would suggest using bleach instead of hydrogen peroxide. I think if you do a search on the site you will find several other suggestions, including using a torch to steralize tools. I use Physan 20 as I find it works the best for me.
Good Luck and happy potting...there are a couple really good repotting articles you might want to read as I am sure they have some other great ideas i've missed.

[nmcarrizal]

Well i repotted a few weeks ago and they seem to be doing well. Some i repotted in a bark and a few in a phal mix(bark, perlite, charcoal), and they seem to be doing well. I planted them all in terra cotta pots. I did repot one into a ceramic pot but the leaves started yellowing so I thought maybe it wasnt getting enough air? I went ahead and repotted again in terra cotta also. Also i attempted to make a humidity tray for them. I'm hoping I did it right. I am in love with orchids now. Turns out the plant I bought had 3 phals in them and now i have 2 more. To be honest I am getting them at a grocery store in the flower section. If they have had them there for too long or the pot breaks or any little thing they mark them down. I paid $4 for the one with 3 plants in it and another $3 for the others. I know how expensive they can be so I figured it's a good way to start out while I am learning how to maintain them. I did cut of the spikes on most of them to focus on the plant a bit more.


Also I know the last one has one spike for sure, but the large green root, is that also a spike?
And the leaves are yellow and wrinkely, could that be from being in the ceramix pot? I have it in the same mix and watering schedule as the others. I'm hoping that since i repotted in terra cotta it will start to do better. I would think that being in a smaller pot it would dry faster than the others right.