Phalaenopsis memoria wilting flower and pot question

[Robby]

So I'm brand new to all this. A week ago, I didn't even know you could buy orchids, I've just always loved them. I bought a Phalaenopsis memoria Cecilia Rimland (is stating the whole name necessary?) at Lowe's a few days ago. I decided to water it yesterday morning and hold off on feeding until next weekend just in case it got a heavy feeding and watering right before I bought it. It is in sphagnum moss in a clear cube pot and the corners are deeper than the middle of the pot. I'm guessing this is so any extra water can go in the corners. So 1. I'm wondering if I should get a pot with holes in the bottom so I can drain it easily when I water and feed it. 2. I saw a little black bug crawling around in it and I don't know if that is bad. 3. Can I use tap water that is filtered by a snap-on-the-sink water filter? 4. Last night I got home really late and knew I would be sleeping late so i put my orchid in the window sill in between the curtain and the miniblinds. (I live in a one room studio with only two windows) This was the window furthest away from my bed which is behind my plasma tv and next to my computer. On the orchid, there are two flower stems and one has two flowers and the other has one flower with the former being older growth and the latter being newer growth. When I woke up this morning, I found that the flower on the stem by itself (newer growth) was starting to wilt. I'm wondering if it got too hot being close to my tv (plasma tvs get hot), computer and behind the curtain. I'm also worried that the filtered tap water was bad for it. How can I perk this slightly wilted flower back up? As a side note, I also noticed this morning that both the flower stems are continuing to grow. I'm very thankful for this orchid community.

[Claire25]

Hi Robby!

I was in Lowe's myself a few days ago and I think I saw some Phals in the same "cube" pot you refer to. It is all-glass with no drainage holes, right? You need to get it out of this container as soon as possible...any pot with drainage holes will do. That glass cube is a Phal death trap!

It's hard to say what kind of bug you saw...I wouldn't worry about it unless you see more than one, along with plant damage (chewed leaves, etc). Tap water will be fine...but as your plant is in what must be a soaking wet media at this point, you will not need to water for a while (repot it into a regular pot first, and then water after the media is almost totally dry).

Regarding the wilted flower, it is not likely to "perk up." Phalaenopsis flowers will wilt naturally as they age, and the change of environment caused by bringing your plant home may have played a part (as well as heat from the tv). Your best bet is to enjoy the remaining flowers and hope for more blooms as the spike continues to grow.

BTW the full name of your orchid is Phalaenopsis Memoria Cecilia Rimland. You should keep the tag bearing that name with your plant. Many of us have purchased Phals with no tags, or have lost track of the names over time...I can tell you that it's frustrating to not be able to identify your plant once this happens!

Welcome to the forum!
Claire

[Robby]

Thank you Claire. I'm glad to hear all this. It is a glass cube pot with no holes. I'll get started on repotting. I'm guessing I should use new media? I hope the repotting doesn't give it too much more shock.

[Robby]

I bought another Phal and some new pots and some new media. Now I don't know if i should wait for the flowers to fall off before I should repot them or just get them out of the cube pots with no holes.

[Claire25]

I wouldn't wait. I have repotted Phals while in bloom several times, with no appreciable negative effect to the flowers...anyway, I figure that even if I happen to damage a bud or spike, it's better than losing the whole plant. After all, the goal should be to see it bloom healthfully next year, too, right? I am certain that your Phal wasn't grown in that container while at the nursery...more than likely it was potted up into its "cube" while in full bud or bloom. You should find that it manages just fine by being repotted in bloom now, too. (Anyway, Phals *CAN* remain in bloom for several months...left in those cubes, yours would be long dead by that time).

When you remove your Phals from their old containers, assess the health of their roots. If you're in luck, they will still be firm and healthy. Blackened, mushy roots are a more likely state of affairs...trim any of these back to healthy material.

Out of curiousity, is your new media moss or bark? Moss might be more appropriate to use if your Phal has few good roots left...I've heard it has antifungal properties, too. But bark might be better if you tend to overwater things (it drains more freely). Good luck either way!

Claire

[Robby]

OK, I'll work on that. I bought Better-Gro brand Phalaenopsis Mix. It is fir bark, hardwood charcoal, chunky peat moss, and coarse perlite. Its kinda chunky I guess.