Sick Orchid - brown roots and yellowing stem. Please help

[Rewoodco]

Hi! I am a first time orchid mom. I got a potted orchid for Christmas last year and it had been doing fine in our office where we always keep the front window blinds half open. I also had been watering it the recommended amount once a week.

After a week away on vacation, I returned to find wilted flowers and a few had fallen off. One of the “stalks” had turned a yellowish color and I can see a few aerial roots have turned brown and dry on the side of the pot with the yellowed “stalk.” The only change that has occurred in the plant’s care in the week while we were gone is that the front window blinds were closed. Could this be the cause? If so, what’s the fastest way to help it recover? Should I be cutting off the brown/dry roots? I don’t want to overcorrect, either. Could this just be a natural process of the bloom being finished? How long is a typical bloom?

I would greatly appreciate any advice. I am attaching pictures of the plant in its current state. Thank you in advance!

[SouthPark]

The plant itself looks just fine, which is good. It's possible that the orchid wasn't getting adequate water into it.

Sometimes, watering once a week might not be enough. It's important to have some idea (even if approximated) about how wet or dry the media and/or roots are in the pot.

In general, lightly moist roots, with adequate air-movement around the roots and through the media is no problem for orchids.

In this particular case, more information is probably needed about the conditions in the home when you were away. Eg. temperature, lighting levels, humidity, any natural air-movement, state of the media and roots inside the pot (very dry, very wet, lightly moist?), and how long had the flowers been open for - on the spike.

[Roberta]

The yellowing of the flower spike is normal... flowers don't last forever. If it was in bloom when you got it for Christmas, it has been three months, and as noted by SouthPark, do you know how long the flowers have been open? On a large, healthy Phalaenopsis plant, flowers can last 4-5 months, more than that is not common (which is good, blooming takes energy and you would not want it to bloom itself to death!) Beyond that, to assess the plant's overall health, use SouthPark's questions as a guide as to what to look for.