Wilting Leaves- Phalaenopsis

[Kelj02]

Hello everyone. I am new to owning & caring for an orchid. I have a Phalaenopsis that was given to me 1 year ago. Over the past month my leaves have started to become mushy & wilt. The leave all the way at the bottom closest to the roots has started to turn yellow & has a brown spot on it & the leave above it is getting a white spot on it. Any idea what is causing this? I had the plant in my window sill & moved it as I live in NY & the window area gets very cold. I generally water it every 1- 1 1/2 weeks.

[Ellen]

It is normal for the oldest leaves at the bottom of the phal plant to eventually die, so what you are experiencing may be just shedding of the oldest leaves. However, if the leaves are actually "mushy" (meaning wet and soft) you could have a case of rot. If the oldest leaf is drying out, it's probably nothing to worry about A picture of the plant in question would be very helpful in diagnosing your plant's problem(s), if it has any.