Orchid Problems

[fancyspot25]

Hi-Please help me! I dont want to lose this orchid!! I am new here, and I have a question. This is a Phalenopsis, and it was doing very well, and then I moved it from my parents house to my own. It is just getting done blooming, and the questions that I have are these- First- the tips of the leaves are turning brown, and then the whole leaf eventually turns brown. I cannot figure out why, but I bought a humidifier, and I set it up by the orchid. My next question is about re-potting. This orchid really needs to be re-potted and split. How and when do I go about doing this? Any help is very much needed and welcomed. Thank you.

[Ellen]

I think nobody responded to your question because there was not enough information to be able to give you a really good answer to your questions. First, you say the plant is a Phalaenopsis, then you say that it needs to be "split". This doesn't sound like a Phalaenopsis, since there's really no way to divide one. Does it have an ID tag? Second, without a picture of the plant and the leaves, or at least more information, leaves turning brown could be due to a number of different things. Have you been fertilizing then plant? How much have you been watering it? Is it in direct sun? How do conditions in your house differ from those in your parents' house?

[jerrymeola]

fancyspot

I answer every post on the newbie forum, that does not already have a good answer, but yesterday was Easter, we all take an occasional day off.

I am sorry you though that with 50 people viewing you post you were being ignored. Most viewers are reading the post to see the problem and look for the answers to apply to their own orchids. They often feel that they do not have the experience to give a good answer and no answer is better than a wrong one.

Phalaenopsis lose leaves from too much water and too little water as well as too much sun. Yours sounds like a water problem. If it is the top leaves browning then I would say too much sun.

Phals like to be slightly moist all the time but not wet. You water the plant and let it almost dry out before watering again. Once a week or every 10 days is common indoors. More often outside (in shade) or a home that dries out very fast.

I am guessing that you have not had this orchid for very long. If that is the case, the damage could easily have been done before you bought it. I have seen phals being sold for very low prices that are really dead already and just do not know it yet. They can be damaged to the point that even with flowers still on the plant they are too far gone to recover.

If you are more specific I can give you more direct information. How long have you had the plant and how many leaves have you lost. How many leaves are left and have you lost any of the newest leaves.

[fancyspot25]

Thank you very much for answering me, I really appreciate it. As bad as it sounds, the orchid may not be a phal. Someone else responded and they said that it was not a phal because I said that the plant needs to be split...The plant has to be about 20 years old, The leaves do not fall off, they just turn dark brown...There are no wrinkled leaves and there is new growth...My Mom would put it outside in the summer under a tree so it had shade. I do not have it in direct sun, and it is sitting on a tray of pebbles, I do not use tap water when I water it...I have read that some orchids do better if they are root-bound, but the pot is splitting on this one, and it was re-potted about 3 years ago. It could also be split into 2 or 3 smaller orchids, as it has such a broad base...The other thing- it could be a dendrobium...As to fertilizing- I am not doing that on a regular basis either. Any more help would be greatly appreciated!! thank you