The Phal abuse ends here.

[Ordphien]

That depends on your micro climate.
In my area I can leave any tropical out all year round.
My neighbors porch is filled with phals year round and our winters reach the upper 20's to lower 30's.
But.... and this is a big but, our specific micro climate is rather humid and completely devoid of any frosts.
I would say..keep them indoors on your area.
They make excellent house plants.

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[Talila6]

When I place my phal(s) in basement for bud setting. Should I water regularly, or should they be a bit on dry side? ( I figure that since the plants go into a bit do dormancy they might not need to be kept as moist as when they are growing leaves or blossoms) what do you think?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Water regularly.

[amdrum09]

I have no clue what kind of orchid it is. It had purple and white flowers. Recently the leaves on bottom have turned yellow and 3 of the 5 have fallen off. The blooms have died and fallen off as well. What's wrong with my orchid?! It was soo pretty! It is still in the original pot it was bought in *from Walmart* I want to keep her alive! HELP!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If your orchid's flowers closely resembles the flowers of those in the pic of the following link, then it is a Phalaenopsis (aka Moth Orchid). It is also most likely so particularly since it was purchased at Walmart.

http://www.iosoc.com/PicsMadison04/1...ndy%20phal.JPG

[amdrum09]

mine did not look like that, the outer part was white and the inner part was a purpleish color. trying to figure out how to post pictures for more help.

[Talila6]

I think your problem is overwatering. Take the plant out of its pot and look at the medium it is planted in. I would bet a nickel that it is potted in 100% spaghum moss. The moss can stay wet for very long. If it is in one of those decorative pots without a drainage hole, your orchid is drowning, orchids also need to breathe, they grow as epiphyte plants.
On the other hand the symptoms of overwatering look the same as under watering. Once again the culprit could be the moss.
Good luck with your plant.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Let's approach this differently...

If the leaves on your plant were shaped like a paddle, and the flowers have rounded sepals and petals that superficially resemble a moth in appearance from a great distance, then your orchid, regardless of the color or patterning is in the genus Phalaenopsis. Phalaenopsis hybrids come in many different colors and patterns, unless you have a tag you will not know the exact name for the hybrid.

This is a Phalaenopsis:

http://www.orchidspecies.com/orphotdir/phalamablis.jpg

As is this:

Phalaenopsis*amboinensis*(Orchidaceae) at The Culture Sheet - The Web's niche for plant cultivation and horticulture

Phalaenopsis*amboinensis*(Orchidaceae) at The Culture Sheet - The Web's niche for plant cultivation and horticulture

This is a Phalaenopsis as well:

Big Leaf Orchid forum • View topic - Phal venosa and Phal celebensis 'Pylo'

This is also a Phalaenopsis:

IOSPE PHOTOS

A Phalaenopsis can have leaves that look like so:

Orchid log: Phalaenopsis hybrid with really long name

But they can also have leaves that look like this:

http://b1.rimg.tw/antonio2007/e2b3501a.jpg

[lightrain21]

Hello! I would appreciate if someone could give me some advice on my orchid. I have a phal that I purchased at Home Depot 3 years ago. Its potted in some kind of bark, no moss. The flowers died shortly after I purchased it. I was living in the midwest and moved a lot so there were some places that didn't have good windows, so not much leaf growth and it has never flowered again. 6 months ago I moved to Texas. At first the phal was on a south window and I found the leaves were burning so I moved it farther inside my apartment. It has had tremendous leaf growth now since I have moved to Texas. A few months ago it started producing some sticky dew looking drops underneath the tips of the leaves. I did a lot of internet research on this, some people saying it was a sign of a pest, others that sometimes orchids just release "happy" sap. The sap problem stopped on its own.

About two months has gone by since the sap, and all of a sudden the orchid is dropping leaves. It started with the bottom one where the leaf turned yellow in about two days and fell off. I have lost 2 leaves in the last week, and the next two have started to yellow. The plant had only lost one other leaf in its life.

I have done a lot of reading online to figure out the problem (sorry I haven't have time to read this entire thread though). I understand orchids will lose a leaf from time to time, but this sudden amount has to indicate a problem. Some forums have said it means the roots are rotten. I have unpotted the plant and found that some of the roots are dry/shriveled/dead, but how do I know if they are rotten that indicated a bigger problem, or just dead roots? I am just not experienced enough to look at my orchid and know what the problem is. I would appreciate if anyone can tell me if the roots are rotten. Should I cut off the dead ones? Thanks a lot!

[Talila6]

cut the dead roots and discard all old potting medium, wash the roots out and repot with new bark medium. you can use the old pot again, but you need to soak it in bleach solution to clean it property.
sterilize your scissors or blades first.