Hello everyone-I was gifted an orchid a couple days ago and don't know anything about them. I live in New York State but will be moving to Virginia soon and taking the plant with me. I put it in front of a window where it gets indirect light. There was one mealybug on a leaf and I took it off with a damp cloth and wiped the leaf down. I looked for more and saw none. Some of the roots are green and look healthy but are black at the ends. And there are quite a few others that look dead. I think the medium is sphagnum moss only. It was dry when I got it so a couple days ago I soaked it for about 15 minutes in lukewarm water. I'm not sure if I should unpot it and cut off any suspicious looking roots or wait till the flowers die and then prune the roots. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Without knowing what kind of orchid you have and having a photo no one can help you

Welcome to the site!

Moving the thread to the Orchid forum.

Hi and to the site!

If you can upload a photo or two showing your orchid and it's pot with whatever potting media it's growing in, I'm sure some of our knowledgeable orchid folks will be able to help. One orchid that seems to be quite popular nowadays is the Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis) which is an Epiphyte that requires excellent air circulation around the roots and a pot with good aeration and drainage.

Sorry I had thought the photos were attached. Here they are

Yes, its a Phal. You do have some rotted roots in there. There are 2 schools of thought about repotting and root pruning while a plant is blooming. Some say its a definite no0no, others, say go ahead.
Is there any drainage in that clear pot?
The problem with potting in sphagnum in a closed container like that is that it will generally stay too wet for too long. It looks like that is what has Hellenes to your plant.
I would encourage you to go to the Orchid forum on this site. There are sticky threads at the top that deal specifically with phals because they are the most common orchid new orchid growers get, and there are a bunch of very knowledgeable growers there like @Ursula

Hi Gina, I thought that my post was moved to the orchid forum...when I look at the top it says Orchids Forum but I guess not? And the clear container that the orchid is in has a small hole in the bottom. The white outer pot does not have drainage holes.

Hi Peter, welcome to the Orchid forum!

Gina gave you good advice!
It is a very pretty plant!!
If this were my Orchid, I would remove the pots and take a good look at the roots. They look like they started to turn black, not a good thing. I would remove very gently all the Sphagnum, trim the dead roots ( use sterile tool) and repot into proper size bark mixture ( wet first) into a pot with proper drainage.
Hopefully, the plant will continue to bloom and down the road start new growth.

Sounds good, I'll do that. Thank you

PeterFlan said: Hi Gina, I thought that my post was moved to the orchid forum...when I look at the top it says Orchids Forum but I guess not? And the clear container that the orchid is in has a small hole in the bottom. The white outer pot does not have drainage holes.

When I read it it was still in Ask a Question

Our Orchid Expert BigBill adds to this

Growing them inside of a thin plastic sleeve, not pot, is almost always fatal in my opinion. That is not a drainage hole, it is a seepage hole. Sphagnum moss needs to be repotted, or made fresh, every 6 months or so. 12 months at the outside. If your roots are turning black or soft and mushy, that is a bad sign.
Phalaenopsis are epiphytes. They can be grown in a house but they are not houseplants.
Water often enough to keep them from going dry. Watering every day in those conditions presented, is in my mind, 99% lethal!!!
Please read the Phalaenopsis threads in the Orchid Forums. They are just full of excellent advice and good information.
The thread "🗣 Starting out with Phals/Supermarket Orchids 🛎 ✍️" in Orchids forum
Good luck to all our Phalaenopsis growers, both our seasoned veterans and beginners alike.

and he also says -
It is my experience that a miss treated Phalaenopsis, repotted with a proper pot and media, will typically put out new roots in 4-6 weeks. 8 weeks tops.

Thanks Bill!

This American Orchid Society Phalaenopsis Culture Sheet also offers good information: https://www.aos.org/orchids/cu...

Bill is kind of our equivalent to the AOS IMO

He sure knows his stuff!! Years of hands on experience!