New & Confused :(

[Calvin & Hobbes]

Hello, I am totally new to orchids.
I have a phalaenposis it grows medium light yellow flowers, there are two stems with say three flowers each & big thick green leaves at the base, as well as roots that grow out of the top of the pot. It is grown in moss and I have it placed on a tray of rocks to allow air flow.
I do not keep it in standing water, I water it through once a week and alt weeks with orchid flowering food.

OK so two problems:
1.The roots growing out of the top of the pot are shrivelling up, I thought this was due to under watering or lack of humidity so I increased the watering to every 4 days?
2. I have this past week had two flowers from the same stem completely wilt - one then a week later the next, so I cut them off. I took a look on the bottom of the pot and there seems to be a white film, not fibrous strands but more of a chalky film (no smell) on or around the root & moss nearest two of the drain holes?

Any ideas??

[Gin]

Hi and welcome to the forum . What you are seeing is probably Fert. salts build up or from hard water (lime) , If mine I would get new Spag. moss , (Box stores have it in a brick)like the kind i it is in and repot it . Soak the pot, remove the old moss , and check for rotted roots (ones that are dark , when you gently press them they squish , usually they will be at the bottom of the plant ,you will see a stub ( the base of the plant ) . Use a new razor blade or non plant cutters to remove them .
It might be from trying to hydrate the ariel roots the rest have become to wet . Pot it so the ariel roots are in the pot .
When you get the Spag . wet it and squeeze out the excess water , throw in a few Styrofoam ( non melting type) in the bottom of the pot . If the pot it is in is not large enough for the plant to fit in it get a size larger , azalia type pots work better than the taller type. After repotting keep it just moist not wet .
It might be the blooms were just old and it was thier time to go . Hope this helps . Gin

[Brutal_Dreamer]

I agree with Gin. It sounds to me like fertilizer build up on the pot. It is time to repot. If you like the moss, then repot in more moss. I prefer to use a bark mixture. It allows me to water once a week during the winter and twice a week during the summer. Do like Gin suggests. Repot and make sure to put the ariel roots into the medium. Cut away old squishy brown roots (rot) and if the flowers spike is now bare, cut it back as well. Some people will tell you to leave it on and it might branch, but with an orchid that needs to be repoted, it is better to cut the spike back to about one inch long and let the plant rest. JMHO

Welcome to the OrchidTalk forums!

Cheers!
Brutal_Dreamer