My phalaenopsis has deep yellow, wrinkled leaves. :(

[globetrotteri]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to Orchid Board and I'm looking forward to meeting new friends and learning more about these beautiful flowers we are all so obsessed with. I plan on delving into these forums right away, but before I do that, I'm in need of some help.

I think I'm killing my orchid and I really have no idea what I'm doing. This is my first moth orchid.

I bought my phalaenopsis about three weeks ago. The bottom two leaves started turning yellow within a week. I followed the instructions I was given and I water it once a week. It's not sitting in direct sunlight and our apartment is quite humid as we live in Taiwan. I've also placed it in a tray filled with pebbles and water to accommodate for evenings when we run our air conditioner for a few hours.

I can't tell if I'm overwatering or under watering. I stuck a stick into the media to see if it's coming out wet because I read that orchids can get root rot really easily. The stick came out dry so I gave it more water. I've also read that the pot that the orchid came in might not be a good option, but I'm scared that it will die if I repot it. (Plus I've only ever repotted hardy plants, so I'm a little worried about how to do that without causing more damage.)

The bottom two leaves are super wrinkled now and they have turned a deep mustard yellow. The flowers and the top two leaves still look healthy. I've uploaded a photo for viewing.

Does anyone have any advice?