What should I do?? My orchid has some weird looking leaves and roots..

[orchidyeah]

Hello! I've recently fallen in love with these plants, as my mom gave me a beautiful phalaenopsis orchid for Valentine's Day. I started researching, and repotted it in some orchid bark along with cutting off dead roots and removing the moss. A few months later, I became aware of te issues with no drainage holes, and decided to order some nice ventilated clear pots, and repotted the poor thing yet again for fear of over watering it. It was growing a new air root, but in the process of trimming off dead roots, I slipped and ended up cutting it off. The orchid is growing two new leaves, and has new growth in the roots, and is even beginning to grow a new air root. There's a lot of happy healthy growth of this guy, but i'm concerned about some things. Right next to the crown, some of the roots appear black overall not really that healthy. Also along the crown, are some tiny "bite" marks, and one of the leaves has gotten a weird texture and discoloration to it. Is this anything to worry about? What should I do?? Here are some pictures..

[ksriramkumar]

New roots growing is a good sign. I feel that it is bit dehydrated though. The leaves should be plump and erect and not floppy. Water the pot throughly so that entire media is wet. You could take it to a kitchen sink and immerse the pot for 10 minutes or so and water again when it is bone dry

[orchidyeah]

Should I leave the roots and the weird looking leaf alone? That leaf is towards the bottom, so I'm not overly concerned about it, but it has a very weird texture.. and with watering the orchid, how often should I water it if it's looking dehydrated like this? How do I know when it's time to water my orchid? I know that the roots get silvery, and you can sometimes tell by the weight of the pot, but even right after I soak it there isn't much of a difference that I can see. I usually let it soak for 5-10 minutes

A quick little comment to add on.. When I first repotted this guy, it wanted to lean a lot in the pot due to where the roots were, and I tried to shift it around, but it ended up settling in that leaning position. I know that made the leaves look more droopy. I don't know if that is bad for the plant to lean that way.. It just kinda happened.

[Chris in Hamilton]

Agree with Sriram on all points but waiting until it is bone dry again. I, myself don't let Phalaenopsis dry out completely.

[PaphMadMan]

Another agreement here. The only problem I see is that needs to be addressed is long term dehydration. It needs more frequent water.

[ksriramkumar]

Leave the weird looking leaf as is. let the Phal drop it by itself. Watering frequency depends on your environment. You should water whenever inside media is dry. You could use a skewer or use a weighing scale to ascertain watering frequency.

The leaning habit is quite good as it prevents it from a crown rot. I would like to be in a leaned position.

Should I leave the roots and the weird looking leaf alone? That leaf is towards the bottom, so I'm not overly concerned about it, but it has a very weird texture.. and with watering the orchid, how often should I water it if it's looking dehydrated like this? How do I know when it's time to water my orchid? I know that the roots get silvery, and you can sometimes tell by the weight of the pot, but even right after I soak it there isn't much of a difference that I can see. I usually let it soak for 5-10 minutes

A quick little comment to add on.. When I first repotted this guy, it wanted to lean a lot in the pot due to where the roots were, and I tried to shift it around, but it ended up settling in that leaning position. I know that made the leaves look more droopy. I don't know if that is bad for the plant to lean that way.. It just kinda happened.

[Bohata]

I agree with ks. Remember that all plants eventually loose older leaves.

[Catt Mandu]

The older leaf will drop soon, just due to old age. That texture is normal for a leaf getting ready to drop; nothing to worry about.

Watering: Look at the roots through the plastic pot. If the roots look silvery, water the plant. If the roots look green, withhold water and check again tomorrow. You can also look for condensation on the inside of the plastic pot. If you see much condensation, wait another day before watering.
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[raybark]

Bark chips are notoriously poor at absorbing water, so consider this little tip:

Put the plant in the sink, and water the daylights out of it with lukewarm water. Wait 15-30 minutes, and do it again. That first watering will cause the bark to swell a bit, allowing it to absorb more going forth, reducing the need to water as frequently.

[orchidyeah]

I've seen somewhere that you're supposed to pre-soak the bark mixture before repotting.. I didn't know to do this when I repotted. I also saw that if the bark dries out completely, it doesn't absorb water as much as before, and to fix this you let the pot soak for 24 hours. Would this be a smart thing to do or should I just stick to my routine of soaking the orchid for about 10 minutes every 3-5 days? I live in a dry climate with not a lot of humidity, and as of late it's been especially hot. I also have a fan going most of the time so there's a lot of air circulation in the room.