new member with phal in need of help!!!

[samantha.s.]

Hello,
I am new to the forum, and I am hoping you guys can help. I just got my first orchid (a phalaenopsis) and I am trying to learn how to take care of it. But recently some very concerning things started to happen, one of my spikes lost every flower it had on it. The plant has another spike with about 6 flowers on it, but the other spike lost about 8 blooms in the past 2 weeks!! The leaves are green (no signs of black spots) and there are no bugs. The spike the flowers fell off is still very green and looks healthy. I have been following watering instructions (I water based on weight of the pot, usually about every week and a half or so). I am wondering if I am doing something wrong here, I really dont want to kill my orchid!! I am wondering why only one spike dropped all its flowers while the other hasnt lost any, and since it has no buds or blooms left on it, should I prune it down?? (I have never pruned it before). Any advise would be much appreciated!!

[Ron-NY]

Samantha sounds like you are doing ok. Just don't let the pot get too light. Phals resent total dryness. Sometimes the flowers fall off because it is there time to. Where are you keeping the Phal? Methane produced by ripening fruit could cause flowers to fall off more quickly as well.

there is a thread here on the forum for Phal care. Unfortunately I am on a public computer that does not allow copy and paste. If you can't find it, I or someone else will post the link to it for you later

Also, I wouldn't cut back the spike until it is dried at this point

[samantha.s.]

ok, I am worried the fate of my blooms may have something to do with me re-potting the orchid (about 4 weeks ago). I knew it wasnt the correct time to re-pot, but when I bought the orchid a week or so before it was in a small plastic container that was not holding up very well, so I didnt really have a choice. Is there anything I can do to help ease the transition? This is my first orchid, so I didnt really know what I was doing, but I looked it up and found that for my area a lot of people used sphag moss so that is what I used. May be it is the pot?? I hope it is nothing, but I can help but be worried that one spike lost every flower on it while the other lost none.

[Ron-NY]

Samantha...i have used Sphag myself in clay pots with extra drainage holes. I make sure the Sphag is not in there tightly for if tight it will dry on the top and be too wet in the middle, leading to root rot. Phals are more foregiving than other orchids being repotted when in bloom. It is normal to worry. Most beginners do. A word of caution though, as many chids die from love as do from neglect. There is also a saying in this hoby: You can not consider yourself an expert grower until you have killed your weight in orchids...lol. But from what I've read in your post, you are doing a great job! It is not unusual for all the flowers to drop from a Phal spike within a few days to a week.

What area are you in?

[samantha.s.]

Oh no! I think I am using the wrong type of pot! I thought it needed to retain moisture, so I put it in a pot without holes! I had no idea it needed extra drainage. The pot is some sort of ceramic material. Should I repot to avoid root rot? Im in northern CA, so not too warm, but i have to be careful it doesnt get too much sun.

[cindiras]

No drainage holes is bad...usually. Also, one of the reasons it was in a small pot to start with could be because phals like to be almost rootbound, or have their roots tightly packed in the pot. Most of us starting out after being used to houseplants think orchids MUST need a larger pot! Not so! Remember, in the wild, those roots are packed into crevices in tree bark (tight spaces). Even better- when we put them in a pot, we are growing them sideways from the direction nature has them growing. Phals grow DOWN the tree (with the leaves pointing downward). Some of my smaller phals I have lying across the top of their pots with half the roots buried in clay pellots and half the roots sticking up in the air.

[samantha.s.]

I transfered it into a small pot, not much bigger than the one it was in, I only moved it because the plastic cracked and the side opened up and was spilling bark everywhere. Would it be bad to repot now? or risk the root rot until it is a better time?

[gardenguysorchids]

Hi, Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have been doing things right except for the pot with no drainage and also it being a ceramic pot. I have read and been told that ceramic pots are not good for orchids and can kill them quickly because of the chemicals used in the glazes. For my Phals I still like to use just plain clay pots and prefer using just orchid bark for the growing medium. I just received a number of phals planted in moss and find that there is too much guess work when it is time to water. Some seem dry after a week and others are still as wet a the day i watered them previous week. Because of that I will be repotting all of them as soon as I find the time. Hope I have helped you and not confused you. Bill

[Ron-NY]

Oh no! I think I am using the wrong type of pot! I thought it needed to retain moisture, so I put it in a pot without holes! I had no idea it needed extra drainage. The pot is some sort of ceramic material. Should I repot to avoid root rot? Im in northern CA, so not too warm, but i have to be careful it doesnt get too much sun.

Yes immediate repot...

Here is the article I mentioned

http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...th-orchid.html

[samantha.s.]

ok I will repot tonight. Thanks for all the help! Does anyone know a link to a good resource on how to properly repot?