I have two orchids that have a lack of roots. I put them both in water for awhile, orchid one now has three small new roots and seems to be doing better. Orchid two still has thin a pitiful looking ones. I don't know if I should just scrap it #2 or cut the roots off and put it in some moss to see if it should grow anything. Also would putting orchid one in a medium of just moist sphagnum moss help it grow some more roots or would that do more harm than good?

The new roots on your Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis) #1 look good and although those on plant #2 don't look extremely healthy, the plant may be salvageable.

If they were mine I'd pot them into small pots specifically meant for orchids. I prefer the plastic pots with lots of slits and holes in the sides and bottom for aeration and drainage and I use a bark mix specifically for orchids. I have heard some talk about using long fiber sphagnum moss but I've never had luck with that because it can either get extremely dry and compacted, or stay too wet.

These American Orchid Society Culture Sheets offer good information:
https://www.aos.org/orchids/cu...
https://www.aos.org/orchids/cu...

There is also great information about Phalaenopsis Orchids on this page of our orchid forum: The thread "🗣 Starting out with Phals/Supermarket Orchids 🛎 ✍️" in Orchids forum

Congrats on getting some roots on #1, and it won't be long before #2 makes some new roots or sends a new root out of one of the old ones. Before you do anything else, how did they get that way? I don't mean to be rude -- but don't repot them in whatever media they were in that caused the root loss -- or if you think it was human error/but right media (overwatering) then maybe you could repeat the potting media as long as you water them differently.

I am not an expert, but I have lots of healthy phalenopsis orchids. I would pot them up in a a smallish pot -- 2.5- 3" with drainage holes. I really like clear plastic ones, so I can monitor the moisture level. I would use a mix of sphag. moss (soak it wet first, squeeze out all excess moisture, then use) and orchid mix, about 50/50 by volume. Water them well, and then not again until they are almost dry (not bone dry, but no longer moist dry). Repeat. They should pull through. Lucky them to have you and your patience!

SunnyinMichigan said: Congrats on getting some roots on #1, and it won't be long before #2 makes some new roots or sends a new root out of one of the old ones. Before you do anything else, how did they get that way? I don't mean to be rude -- but don't repot them in whatever media they were in that caused the root loss -- or if you think it was human error/but right media (overwatering) then maybe you could repeat the potting media as long as you water them differently.

I am not an expert, but I have lots of healthy phalenopsis orchids. I would pot them up in a a smallish pot -- 2.5- 3" with drainage holes. I really like clear plastic ones, so I can monitor the moisture level. I would use a mix of sphag. moss (soak it wet first, squeeze out all excess moisture, then use) and orchid mix, about 50/50 by volume. Water them well, and then not again until they are almost dry (not bone dry, but no longer moist dry). Repeat. They should pull through. Lucky them to have you and your patience!

So I received both of these orchids for Valentine's Day and I assume they came from Lowe's or Home Depot. Orchid #1 had TERRIBLE roots so I immediately removed all of the roots besides one root which was okay. Orchid #2 seemed alright at first and I potted it up in some bark mix that is appropriate for Dendrobium orchids, but then over a couple weeks the leaves started to shrivel. I looked at the roots and they were mushy and shriveled. The pot I had it in wasnt clear, but it had many holes for airflow in the sides. I trimmed most of the rot off and placed it in water. It has gotten a bit better over time, but it seems to be stuck were it is

You've got some fairly good looking leaves, and small, but healthy roots on those plants. Any root that is plump, and turns green when it's wet is a healthy root that is working for the plant. When they have pointy tips like those, they're also growing pretty well, too. Pot them up!

What you use to pot them depends a lot on where you're planning to grow them. If indoors, (consistently drier and cooler) a mix of orchid bark with some sphagnum moss mixed in works pretty well, but if you'll be growing them outside (I see you're in Florida, like me?) just use the bark. The moss stays too wet. I have healthy Phals growing outside here, and they are mounted on bark mounts, and get watered almost every day. Good air flow is key, and the ability to dry out is also important to keep the roots healthy and the plants growing.