My mom has two orchid plants that are completely out of control! Can someone please guide me and tell me how to fix them?
Any advice is welcome.
Thank you in advance!

Hi Sophie,
Looks to me like they probably could use a repotting. I see some really healthy roots there.
I would suggest that you go to the Orchids forum.
At, or near the top of that forum, is a "sticky" "Starting out with supermarket phals".
Great info! Everything you need about Phal orchids.

You have 2 Phalaenopsis that are in need of repotting. A great number of those roots are alive and the plants are easily saved.
Here is how I would do it.

1-remove each orchid from its pot.
2- take a pair of hand held trimmers. Cut through the central stalk and discard the bottom portion. Roots and stalk.
3-take the remaining plant with leaves and perhaps four or five roots each and lay them aside for a few days. You can brush on a little cinnamon to the cuts that you made.
4- after a few days or even a week or so, repot into clay or plastic pots WITH drainage holes. Do NOT use a pot without drainage holes.

What material do you use in the pots? Either New Zealand Long fibered sphagnum moss or a media for Phalaenopsis. I use a media that I mix myself. I use medium grade fir bark with sponge rock and charcoal. You plant in the pot so as to cover all of the roots within the pot. Use a pot that holds all the roots inside. You do not want to jam them in the pot but you do not want to use a pot where the roots have too much room. That leads to watering problems.
Within 4-6 weeks, they start to produce new roots and they recover fairly quickly. No need to fertilize until they recover.
Do not grow them in a pot inside of another pot. That too leads to watering issues. When they bloom, that is the time to display them in a prettier pot but do not grow them that way.
In the meantime Welcome to the site and please check out our Orchid Forums!!
You will find numerous threads there about growing Phalaenopsis orchids. There is also a fabulous sticky there called "Starting out with Supermarket orchids-Phalaenopsis. I encourage you to read through these soon.
We have many people hanging out in the forums and they will just love to help. We all grow Phalaenopsis
In different ways but I am recommending a method to you that I am 99.486739% confident will produce favorable results for you.
Good luck going forward.

The aerial roots look healthy to me (don't cut them off - Phalaenopsis grow roots everywhere normally).

I would agree that they definitely need repotting, though. The second plant also looks a bit dehydrated and I can see some light-colour dots on the lower leaves - are these pests/insects?

@bigbill do you mean cut off all the roots?

No no no!
I am saying that if the leafless part of the central stem is say 8" tall or long, cut the lower 5" off. Discard it and whatever roots are attached.
The remaining 3" piece should also have roots attached and then ultimately the roots. Treat that fresh cut on that stem with cinnamon. Pot up that piece with its roots as I described before.

@bigbill thank you! Do you recommend me putting all the roots in the pot with the sphagnum moss? Or leave the aerial roots out?

Hi Sophie, with orchid growing, you will find out later, we all have different approaches to it. Looking at your plant, it does need a repot, into a container with drain holes and if you can, make side holes too. Phal roots are always like that, grows out anywhere it likes. I have learned to tolerate it, since in its preferred environment, that is the way it attaches to limbs of trees. Those roots also do some photosynthetic process, which helps the plant too, so at times I just let aerial roots wander about, if it wants too. It grows such thick roots, and loves very good airflow around it.

I do not cut off healthy roots, what I do cut off when I repot are the obviously brittle and dead roots, if there is any. I also inspect the underside of the plant, and I try to remove gently the old media. Gently wet the live roots, so it becomes more pliable to handle, that way you can gently put it in whatever container you will use. You will also find out that orchid growers use different media for their orchids. But for starters, I would get chunky orchid bark mix, and before I repot, I soak them in water overnight, to open up that dry bark, then the following day I toss away the excess water and use that for the repot. It is a bit daunting to do the repot, but we all have to start somewhere.

So first things first, prepare your media and container, once you are ready then proceed to do your repot. Also when I repot, I try to tilt the plant a bit, so during watering time, excess water flows away from the crown. Do not bury the collar of the plant too deep, just bury the roots if you can. Later on if the roots wander out, you can again gently wet it, and carefully put it back into the container, or just let it be. In time you will find out what media works for your area. We all have our preferences. I have learned not to use sphagnum moss, since it is hard for me to determine if it is dry enough. Our growing environments are different, so be observant of your temps and humidity levels. Position your plant away from direct sun. It is a low light plant, that is why it is so much fun to grow indoors and when it blooms, it can last for 3 to 6 months.

Whatever roots remain should go in the pot. Then whatever media you choose should fill the pot covering all of the roots if possible. There are a lot of growers who use straight, long fibered sphagnum moss. BUT it can be tricky to use. Pre-moisten it first and carefully work it in and around the roots. BUT don't really jam it into the pot so that it becomes so dense, so thick and firm that water will not penetrate it at all. However you do not want to have it too soft and fluffy either. It should be packed in firmly, but not jammed in with all of your strength.
It is however a wonderful media to use but whether you choose it or a bark mix, the Phalaenopsis will love it and perk up. When it is repotted, water it well every 5 days roughly. Let the water drain out of the drainage holes.

I tend to go the same route as Tarev with mine. No matter how carefully you get those roots into the medium/pot, it will grow more to hang outside the pot. They like the air movement, apparently. I am using Bill's Oreo medium though, and it's working for me.. As to trying to get all the roots in the pot...a layer of medium...Set plant roots, and turn(screw) , Tap on a hard surface to settle, Add a bit more medium, Repeat, repeat, repeat until roots are covered and plant is stable. Since Phals like lots of air in the root zone, a few small gaps won't matter much. Never water the crown of the plant unless you want to go after the water in the leaf bases with Q-tips or blow it out with a straw. Water in the crown is a death sentence. I don't tilt mine, but I don't wet the leaves. As said, we all have different methods and environments. No direct sun, but bright light...moderate temps.(no radical changes), careful watering.