thanks for sharing. I hope to make them flower.

Take it out of that pot as soon as possible! Chances are that the bottom sections of the roots are rotted; depending on how long it’s been in that pot. This is probably why the leaves are turning yellow. First thing to do is to find out the size of the pot that it is in now and then go buy a similarly sized pot at a garden store or some other appropriate place. I would recommend a plastic pot, and if you can find it, a clear plastic pot. The clear ones will let you see the roots, or at least the ones close to the edges, and when they start to grow, you’ll see it and know it’s happy.

Next, I wouldn’t worry too much about repotting while it’s in bloom. Phals are pretty hardy, but still be as careful as you can. I’m assuming it has a huge arching flower spike now so you’ll probably want to enlist your husband to help with repotting. Since we are in rescue mode here I won’t go into all the details about properly repotting.

First, to make it a little easier, give the plant a good soaking. This will soften the roots and make them pliable and also loosen them from the sides if they have adhered to the pot. Might as well just fill the pot it’s in up to the top for 10-15 minutes then drain the water out. Next, have your husband stabilize the spike while you lay the plant and pot on it’s side. Gently shimmy the plant out of the pot trying to keep as much of the sphagnum in the root ball, hopefully it just slides out. I usually do this over some newspaper. Once it’s out, and since you have a plastic pot that’s the same size, just slide it in to the new pot and right-side it up. First major crisis averted.

In regards to moving them outside. You could probably move your phal outside, but be real careful. Phals are really low light orchids. You will probably want to make sure it has plenty of shade. Maybe someplace where it’ll get a most a couple hours of morning sun and then just shade. You’ll also want to make sure that you “harden” the plant before you move it out; you don’t want to just throw it out there. Gradually increase the amount of time you let it spend outdoors over a couple weeks.

Also, with an automated watering system you want to make sure that no water gets in to the “crown” of the plant, or at least not for any length of time. Since phals grow vertically, a.k.a monopodial, if any bacteria or fungus gets a hold in the crown, it will rot out the top and thus stop any more growth. You’ll notice this if you see the leaves turn brown and mushy. If the plant is otherwise happy it should try and sprout a new growth off one of it’s sides, but then it will basically be starting over and you’ll have to wait a few years for flowers. Best not to even go there.

Lastly, when the orchid bug really starts to bite, you’ll want to start buying orchids more accustomed to your environment. Two recommendations I would make would be to start looking for Dendrobiums and Cattleyas; both would do great hot and humid and both are pretty high-light orchids.

Also, try looking to see if you have an orchid society in your town or one close. They usually have monthly meetings and have a “show and tell” table with other beautiful orchids. And there is usually quite a few “orchid geeks” like me that are more than willing to help and answer questions. I joined our local society within a few months of getting my first phal and have enjoyed every meeting I’ve been to. I would highly recommend doing this even if you just want to see what other kinds of orchids look and smell like.

Happy growing!
-ken

What I write here is assuming that you have a phalaenopsis orchid.

Usually when an orchid turns it bottom leaves yellow, and eventually drop them, it is taking nutrients stored in that leaf to sustain the rest of the plant. Occasionally this happens when it tries to adapt to a new environment; such as being in a greenhouse in Florida and moving to your living room in, say, Michigan. Drastically different conditions that it has to adapt to. Also remember that phals store their water and nutrients in their leaves, not their roots.

Under-watering and over-watering produce the same result in an orchid. If you under-water the roots can’t get enough water and the plant suffers. If you over-water the roots rot off and the plant can’t get enough water and suffers. You want to find the happy median between them.

If you are watering once a week, and it’s winter time, my guess is that you are watering too much … depending on the planting medium that it is growing in. I personally grow my phals in sphagnum moss (not peat moss) and they grow and flower great for me. What you should try to do is when you water make sure the medium is thoroughly wet. Then let it sit until it just starts to dry out and then water again.

Another important thing is to insure that the plant has adequate air movement around them. Not only does this help bring fresh air to the plant, it also helps to dry the plant thus preventing any fungal diseases. The fan does not need to be anything huge, nor turned on full blast, just enough to keep the air moving around it. If you water, and the medium is still wet after a week or so, I would recommend getting a small fan to help it dry out some.

Another thing I notice that a lot of the “big box stores” are doing is potting the orchids in a pot without a drain hole; usually in a pretty pot. This will kill it faster than anything. If you ever buy one in one of these pots, the very first thing you should do is take it out of that pot. They are usually in a plastic pot inserted in to this clay pot. Not the prettiest pot, but hey, do you want pretty flowers or a pretty pot?

Lastly, if you want to keep it flowering, do NOT cut the flower spike until it has browned all the way to the plant. If happy, your plant will initiate another flower spike off of the original. Most commonly you will see the spike start to brown back about six inches and then stop. This is the plant telling you that it is going to throw a new flower spike at one of the nodes behind the browning. Be patient and keep an eye out for it.

Also, there are times where you don’t want the flower to continue blooming. For instance, if the plant is struggling you will want to cut the spike off so the plant can focus on living instead of flowering; it takes a lot of energy for a plant to flower. To do this cut the spike between the plant and the first node on the spike; usually within a couple inches of the plant.

Sorry for being long-winded but hopefully this helps someone grow, and flower, a happy orchid.

Cheers!
-ken

I just received a Deep Waters Orchid as a gift in honor of my aunt who died. I want to keep it at my office, but I don’t have any direct sunlight. Will it be alright here? There is a window near me where I could keep it in the sunlight for a while during the day, if that would help. The lights are off at night and on weekends, except when I come in to work.

I’m getting my humidity tray set up and I’m going to get a spritzer, but for right now, it has the most beautiful deep purple blooms on it and it’s still in the original container that FTD sent it in.

Some of the flowers are beginning to die. Do I cut them off or just let them fall off?

I sure would like to see this live a long, long time. Any help that any of you could give me would be greatly appreciated. And thanks, Amanda, for all your good advice.