I think im killing it?

[Courtneeds]

So about a week and a half ago my dad brought me this orchid, it had no blooms and it was potted in moss. I am known for killing plants, and had no clue as to how to take care of the poor thing. so i started watering it... Then i noticed the bottom leaves starting to wilt and turn yellow and fall off.. i thought maybe i had over watered it, so i took it out of the pot it came in, and re potted it in bark.. i really dont want to kill it.. but i dont know if the yellow leaves are normal or what to do at this point.. HELPPPP!! i dont even know what kind of orchid it is. so im going to include some pictures.

Any help would be greatly appreciated..
Thanks so much

[SamIAm]

Hi Courtneeds, Welcome to OG...

Your orchid is a Phalaenopsis Orchid...and as far as the yellowing leaf, it's normal...all older leaves eventually yellow and shed from the bottom.

[orchids4me]

Hello and welcome to the forum!
When you re potted it did you take a close look at the roots? If they are firm those are good ones. They can be gree or kind of yellow. But if they are mushy black or hollow feeling those need to be trimmed with a sterile cutting tool and cinnamon powder put on the cuts. When you repot don't go by the size of the leaves to judge size, go by the size of root ball you have left or root mass. If you can't tell or need help with checking your roots un pot it and post some pics and we will be happy to help you out. Root rot can compromise the plants health and needs to be cleaned up.
Hope this helps
Emmaye

[Courtneeds]

Great thanks, im relieved to know that its probably okay.. as for the roots, most of them were firm green/white. the ones that were hollow or mushy i trimmed off... now that its in bark, how often should i go about watering it? Also what is the best fertalizer? Miracle Gro?

[Phalcycle]

Its normal for bottom leaves to shed off, especially if they are old and not of much help to the plant.
I do notice that your potting medium is in layers. When I use a mix, I make sure the medium is well mixed, not in layers

[orchids4me]

Originally Posted by Courtneeds

Great thanks, im relieved to know that its probably okay.. as for the roots, most of them were firm green/white. the ones that were hollow or mushy i trimmed off... now that its in bark, how often should i go about watering it? Also what is the best fertalizer? Miracle Gro?

What part of california are you in so I can see your climate. I have my Phals potted up in mayres (mikes media mix) there's a thread under potting media for his recipe. This mix has cut back on watering for me it holds the moisture longer so I have to watch how much I water to not over water. ok with that said, when I used bark mix which was a fine bark at the time I watered every 5 to 7 days depending on how hot it was and how fast it dried out hotter days sometimes had to water twice a week and mine are all indoors if they were out side it would be more often on hot days in bark. When its cooler like winter usually watered once a week if still damp waited an extra day or so longer (don't want to under water but don't want to over water and get root rot either,
So again the questions to you are where in Ca. Are you where is you set up situated inside ? Outside? (I'm in the east bay area in northern Ca.)
Fertilizing is a can of worms lol every person will give you a different answer some don't at all some do weekly but weakly etc. And me... Depends on which types of orchids but for Phals I do full strength once a month. For seedlings I do weekly weakly or half strength (depending how old seedlings are) twice a month....depends and right now I'm using the growth formula (while new leaves and roots are developing) just before their blooming season I used the bloom booster formula and rest of the time I use the regular formula I get these fertilizers at OSH they are labled such and have different NPK ratio's for the stages. I am planning on getting the MSU fertilizer from repotme.com that a lot of members rave about on her to try out soon.
I can help more if I get your growing conditions from you.
Hope this helps
Emmaye

[Courtneeds]

I live in the central valley, so recently its been pretty warm, but we keep the AC on.. so its usually not hotter than 78 in my house. As for where the plant is.. its in my room which has a south west facing window.. as for the bark ive used it was some orchid medium that my dad bought for me at OSH.. the poor thing was so packed in moss before that i think it was suffocating.. the only thing is, with the bark i feel like it doesnt absorb the water at all.. i feel like the water just runs right through it..

[orchids4me]

Hi,
Central valley, is that like the Sac. Area or is it in southern Ca sorry if I sound lame lol I'm not familiar with that term. As for the sphag moss some do grow in that but have to water very carefully or root rot when big box stores get them from vendors out of greenhouses the watering regimen changes in the store to over watering or drying out but usually over watering happens and root rot by the tiime we bring them home has already started. Water is suppose to run through these plants are designed that way in their habitat hanging in trees catching water from rain fall and are not usually in potting media or on the ground like terrestrial orchids. Its just convenient for us to keep them that way (in pots) as the bark breaks down in a year or 2 it holds a lot of moisture again causing root rot... Humidity and rain fall in their habitat is how they are wired so to speak. So in bark you will need to water more often wen hotter and incresas humidity. Morning misting (not on the flowers though it dries them out) helps with that and humidity trays especially if its dry in your environment. I use humidity trays and some misting with the squirt bottle but be careful to not get to much in the plants crown or it will rot . A small fan in your growing space helps prevent this as well as fungal infections that come with to much humidity and not enough air flow. With humidity you must have some air flow it goes hand and hand like in their habitat the breeze in the tree branches where they thrive. With you consistent temp you mentioned once a week watering s should be fine. Just note its best to water in the mornings so the plant can dry out some before night.... Again for rot and fungal reasons.
Hope this helps
Emmaye

[Courtneeds]

Its in the Sacramento area. The plants are actually in my room and its usually always on low just to keep air circulating. The problem seems to be getting worse. The little leaves on the bottom of the plant that were turning yellow have now kind of shriveled up and fallen off, and now the entire spike is starting to turn brown. it started at the tip and it seems to be going downward.... but the rest of the leaves are green an feel healthy... should i cut the spike off? i think i read somewhere that its not uncommon for the spike to dry up after flowering, but im unsure. Maybe it just caught me off gaurd.

[orchids4me]

Hi,
That's normal sounding loosing a couple of the bottom leaves this time of year, mine lose them too. When the spike finishes drying up just cut it just above the leaf its growing near this happens more often than not with Phal flower spikes. Sometimes they stay green then just leave it it will either give a keiki or bloom again in its next cycle if that were the case. If you start loosing more leaves then be worried.
Hope this helps
Emmaye

[Phalcycle]

Originally Posted by Courtneeds

I live in the central valley, so recently its been pretty warm, but we keep the AC on.. so its usually not hotter than 78 in my house. As for where the plant is.. its in my room which has a south west facing window.. as for the bark ive used it was some orchid medium that my dad bought for me at OSH.. the poor thing was so packed in moss before that i think it was suffocating.. the only thing is, with the bark i feel like it doesnt absorb the water at all.. i feel like the water just runs right through it..

Some growers soak the bark over night
and some use dry, and after plant is potted, they give a good soak