Hello...=)

[harveykeitel]

I am so happy to find all of you! I am looking forward to receiving advice from you all. =)

I received a phal orchid for Christmas. I am trying to learn all I can and there is so much information to take in. She was looking great until about two days ago when I noticed one flower started to dry out. This happened about 2 days after one flower bloomed. I waited to water because it was still too soon in the week. I finally watered Monday morning. It is now Wednesday evening and the flower has only become more wilted. There is also a brown spot forming on one of the leaves that has grown larger since yesterday. It's sort of soft. The other three flowers are in good condition. I have not given it any food because I read once a month is a best practice for feeding. Should I feed it next week when I water again? There are a lot of factors. I am not sure what to do...

[evagentry]

Hi, and welcome to the forum harveykeitel, the flower wilting is probably normal, when the plant has been thro some changes such as from where you bought it to your house , for example,the stress will cause the flowers to wilt early, dont worry, as for the brown spot, does it look wet or dry? maybe someone who can give a bit of more expert advice will come along shortly.

[harveykeitel]

thank you, nice to meet you. that is relieving to know about the flower. the brown spot is dry it seems. much softer than that of the green of the leaf.

[Debbie Hayden]

I had a similar problem with flower wilt on my Phal last fall. I determined that it was over watering, and thus, root rot. After a good cleanup of bad roots and a little drying out of the medium that it was planted in, it resolved itself. I did lose two leaves that I removed because they were unsightly. Not sure if that was the correct thing to do, I just did it anyway. It's in bloom now, so at least I didn't kill the poor thing! There is so much to learn about the needs of different orchids and it can be confusing and a little scarey at the same time, but they are sure worth the effort when you end up with a beautiful blooming plant.

[harveykeitel]

thank you debbie. I was considering this when I started to read-up on the symptoms occuring. when you say clean-up of the roots and let the medium dry out, is this actually re-potting? i am unsure about repotting and what to do as well. yes this is somewhat confusing and a little scary!

[Debbie Hayden]

I really didn't know what I was doing in a practical sense, I just removed the dead roots and repotted in the same pot with clean sphag. Now I only water if the potting mix is mostly dry. That may be once a week or it may mean twice a week. I let the plant tell me. What type of pot is it in. If it is in a plastic pot, you may not have to water as often. A terra cotta pot will soak up some of the water and it may be nessesary to water more often. I'm not saying that we have the same problem, but it is one possibility. Good luck! Hope one of the "real experts" can give a more definitive answer.

[robb]

Hello and welcome! Regarding your problems, some pictures go a long way towards assisting... but first impression would be simliar to PhalPal's, possible overwatering. I've found with the Big Box Stores, they tend to just hose everything down daily or bi-daily. Obviously this will lead to rot in plants, as even the tropics of Earth do not receive such regular repeated inundations. Best thing to do would be to check the root status and the potting medium. This necessarily involves repotting (clean up old roots, replace medium, etc) which you can find a lot of good information and debate here on the forums.

Good Luck! I've saved a few Phalaenopsis from certain death, myself, and all required new medium (potted in moss, which was soaked and rotting the roots).

[harveykeitel]

Thank you Robb and Debbie. She is potted in a plastic pot. Maybe I don't need to water every week. When I repot it will be in a terra cotta pot. I will keep you posted on what happens after I clean up and repot. I think this is the issue. I will definitely get a pic uploaded. also! what kind of fertilizer do you recommend? I haven't fed yet. I have heard "weakly-weekly" is a good method. But shouldn't I water before I fertilize?

[articuno75]

There are a couple of threads on here about fertilizing, when to do it, when not to. It depends on what fertilizer you are talking about if you are going to water first. There are so many types. Some growers don't even bother using it just for the fact that it burns up other resources in the plant. (ie, bigger blooms=stunted growth or vice versa). I just depends on what you want to use or try and the mad scientist within you.

Also note: this thread is the same as "Hola! Beginner here....", We need a moderator to combine the two into one for less confusion.

[rmt135]

Hi & welcome Harveykeitel.

Reading about the culture, the plant requirement for healthy living, knowing your area humidity, sun light, seasons change requirement, which type of fetlizer to use - when & how, watering frequency - too little or over watering, pest, diseases, virus, etc.

Did I scare you. Do not be worry. Once you get the hang of it, you will love this addiction. Keeping this beautiful flower is not difficult. Shoot any question & keep reading within this forum - there are tonnes of information for you to know about these orchids. Happy growing.