TheNaturePlanet

Is your Phalaenopsis always suffering from root rot? Today, I’ll teach you step by step how to adjust the tightness of the growing medium according to its type, ensuring that the roots breathe smoothly and avoid rot.


The growing media for Phalaenopsis (such as sphagnum moss, bark, pine cones, etc.) that is too loose will make it impossible for the roots to grip the medium, thus failing to absorb water and nutrients. On the other hand, if it’s too tight, it’s like covering the roots’ "noses," suffocating them and causing rot. The perfect state is: the roots can be firmly "embedded" in the medium, excess water can flow away quickly after watering, and the medium can still gently cling to the roots when dry without large gaps.


### Sphagnum moss-based media
Sphagnum moss is the most commonly used medium for beginners, but many people either lay it too loosely or compact it too hard, resulting in either dry roots or rotten roots.


The correct way is: when wrapping the roots with sphagnum moss, gently press with your fingers—you should feel the moss tightly clinging to every root, but after letting go, the medium remains "fluffy" and doesn’t form hard clumps.


Little trick: After pressing, grab a handful of moss and gently pull it. You should feel slight resistance without caking. When dry, check around the roots—if there are no large gaps (big enough to fit a fingernail), the tightness is just right.


### Bark/pine cone-based media
Hard media like bark and pine cones have natural gaps and excellent breathability. Beginners must resist the urge to compact them!


When placing the plant, simply spread out the roots and bury them, then gently shake the pot to let the medium naturally fill the gaps between the roots—no need for deliberate pressing. If you’re worried the medium is too loose, you can lay a thin layer of sphagnum moss on the surface to fix it, but the bark at the bottom must remain loose.


### Practical tips
1. Many flower shops compact sphagnum moss extremely tightly to fix the plant (especially for online-purchased Phalaenopsis). After receiving it, be sure to first peel off the surface moss and gently loosen the medium around the roots with a toothpick to "relieve" the roots.

2. If water seeps slowly from the bottom of the pot after watering, or if water accumulates in the saucer for more than 10 minutes, the medium is probably too compact! Quickly take out the plant, break apart the sphagnum moss/bark, and re-lay it, focusing on unclogging the drainage layer at the bottom to ensure excess water can flow away.

3. When the medium dries out, if you see obvious gaps between the roots and the medium (exposing bare roots), gently stuff some new medium into the gaps with your fingers and press slightly. If the roots still cling tightly to the medium, leave it alone to avoid damaging the roots with frequent disturbance.