Help got an orchid 2 days ago....

[First Orchid]

Hi, I got an orchid 2 days ago and since then it has lost one bud and today when we got home it lost 4 bloomed flowers, they've been getting sadder by the day.. I don't know if I did something wrong I water it when we came home, let the water run out and put it back to the base it came with, the next day I sprayed it with orchid food, and I saw hubby doing it again this morning... I really don't want it to dye... please help me out there must be something I am doing wrong... !!!! thx.

[goinfshn]

If you just got it two days ago, it probably isn't anything you did, but it sounds like you and hubby are watering it too much. I just don't know what kind of orchid you have. Different orchids have different water requirements.
If at all possible and you don't know what kind of orchid you have, try to post pictures and someone will be able to help you.
Good luck, Gary

[orchidea]

Welcome to the forum.
Did it come with the see-through plastic pot? Do you see it's roots?
How do they look?
Orchids don't like to sit in the water. How wet it is where the roots are?
Was it wet when you watered it?
Usually you need to wait till it's almost bone dry before watering it again.
What kind of orchid is it? I assume your orchid is a regular Phal (Moth Orchid).
What medium it is sitting in. Is it Sphagnum Moss?
You can post pictures after you post 5 times. Pictures usually help.
How do it's leaves look like? Are they firm and green?
Sorry, it's difficult to say what is going on. Could be many reasons. It could be simply the flowers are busting off because of the change in conditions. If this is the case and your orchid is healthy, it should bloom again.
You are at the right place. There are many good geeks who would like to help.
Don't water it again till you know what's going on.
It could help if you read about culture your orchid need. Good start is AOS (American Orchid Society) web site.

[orchidea]

I looked at your post again. What concentration of orchid food were you spraying? Were you spraying on the flowers? That could be it. Maybe too much chemicals on the flowers....

[First Orchid]

it is potted in a plastic transparent pot thing... I've never seen such a thing before, it has moss, and yes I was spraying the hole thing... it looks healthy I mean the leaves, so right now I changed it from where I had it and I moved it to my room, it was in the family room, I drained the pot and yes it had a little sitting water at the bottom, the pot does not have holes in it, and it has 4 buds and one almost dead flower, Will the buds flowers die too? I mean for me this is becoming worse than math, cuz I really want it to be healthy, I talked to hubby and we agreed to stop watering it for now, see how she does, and I will just move it back to the family room during the day since it is where the suns gets in, the others rooms got not so much light anyways, so I think is cool for sleeping time. I will post pics as soon as I can manage to do it, thank you very much for your help, I will be coming here from now on and that is hoping she will survive this... oh and I forgot she is the most common one I've seen, you know with the big flowers and she was treated with blue so the flowers were blue, "blue Diamond Orchid" I know if she survives this the next bloom will be white and I am actually waiting for them as I love the white flowers... well won't bore you any more tonight, see you tomorrow thank you again...

[plantloverlisa]

It sounds like you have a Phalaenopsis. if the moss is soggy wet gently pull it out moss and all from that pot and leave it out at least over night. The problem is they are packed so tight and if its too wet it will rot the roots. The flower and bud loss is something that happens to alot of orchids when they leave one enviorment for another. There are care sheets here on the forum. After 5 posts you can post pictures. When I grow Phals. in moss I prefer to put them in an unglazed clay pot as they breathe better. You want the moss to get to the point where it is almost dry before you water again. You do not have to continue to grow it in moss either. There are alot of good threads here with great ideas. My other way of growing them is in coconut husk chips in clear pots. The coco chips dry faster than the bark mixes. Hope this one lives, keep us posted and welcome!

[First Orchid]

Thank you very much...!!!! she lost the other flower last night, nothing we can do about it now flowerless... well I will talk to hubby and see if we can change the moss for the bark, I will try to post 3 more comments and post pics after that.... thank you <3

[Reg22]

You have been getting good advice. Definitely let the moss dry out before you water it again. Check out the American Orchid Society website: aos.org
They have culture sheets that explain how to care for your orchid. Good luck and keep us posted!

[skipper]

If by chance this one does not make it, don't give up. Everyone on this site has had more than a few orchids go south. It is a learning curve, and you are at the start. Everyone here started at that point. The people here will give you some great advice. As far as the flower lose goes, it could be the cold weather the plant came home in. I see you live in NJ, so the weather is an issue. Don't let the plant be in cold drafts, or have them near a door that will blast them when it opens. Phals. come from warm climates, and for the most part do not like the cold. As others have said, it sound as though you have over watered the plant. It is real easy to rot the roots of a Phal. in moss. If you go to bark from moss you will find that the oposite is true. You can under water the plant until the bark "brakes in". If you can find co conut chips that may be your best bet. Look on the forum for threads about culture for Phals. Remember do not give up, it's a hobby not life or death. Good luck and welcome to the forum

Dale

[goinfshn]

I see you are from NJ. Was it real cold when you got your orchid? If it was, the cold could shock the plant.
Good luck, hope you do well with your little girl.
Gary

[orchids4me]

Hello and welcome to the forum !!
Soundas like you got a good start of advice here. Pics will help us help you more also (5 posts and you can up load pics ). Bud blas can be caused by many things including what orchidea said about chemicals on the blooms and buds. But also temp changes, bad roots, and old flowers wilt and drop also. These bloom from closer to the plant up to the spike tip so if you only loosing older blooms down low on the spike may just be age... But always remember try to keep any chemicals off the blooms unless your treating a pest of sorts then you will mostlikey loos the blooms if need to spray there.
Good luck and show us pics of the roots when you un pot it also so we can see what's going on there if any root rot.
Good luck!!