Phalaenopsis leaves turning yellow

[OrchidsAreAwesome]

So I'm new to this site and orchids and I joined because my phal has a problem and I don't know what to do.

I received this phal as a gift about a year ago. It was doing great and even shot up another spike. About a month ago, the leaf on the opposite side of the spike turned yellow and fell out. Now the leaf above the spike is turning yellow and falling out. Yesterday I checked the roots and most of them are healthy and there was no root rot. I put my phal on a south facing window and I water it about every week or when it is dry.

I don't know what the problem is and I really like this phal and I don't want to lose it.

Btw, there is this little thingy growing out from the bottom of my phal and it doesn't look like a root of a spike. What is it?

[Wynn Dee13]

Have you repotted the plant since you got it? I can't tell very well but in the third picture the meadium looks like it could use a change. When you water do you make sure you don't let water sit in the leaf axils? That could make the leaves die and fall off. That would be my first guess if it isn't a root issue. It is normal for the oldest bottom leaves to turn yellow and drop but not usually leaves that are far up the plant like yours. The only other thing that I can think of that would cause that besides rotten roots or water left in the leaf axils is that the leaves are being pushed out by new roots or by the spike. But I'm not sure. In the third picture it looks like your plant could be growing a basal keiki. These kind of keikis do best left on the plant. Good luck!

[LittleWatty]

I've lost the same two leaves on one of my little Phals, both on the same side of the plant. One was old, and the other was positioned above the new spike that was growing out. The first one died when it put out a new leaf, but the other died seemingly out of nowhere (and there was still a leaf older than it on the opposite side of the plant that was green). It got me all hot and bothered, since it was my first orchid and he's absolutely gorgeous. Turned out I was getting all worked up over nothing. His root system is healthy, all his leaves that remain are fine, and he's blooming.

If you repot the plant and check the roots, and find no problems, I would say its nothing to worry about. I can't promise you the plant is ok, but from what I can see, and my own experience, the plant is alright.

[lepetitmartien]

I agree on the age of the medium, it should be replaced.

On the leave issue, it does not look clearly like a rotting of some sort. Now, if it shows a part looking wet, or depressed, it can be something bad. Does it evolves slowly or fast?

The itsy-bitsy growing from the base is still a bit undetermined for me, but it can mean two things:
- Either an ancestor of this hybrid is a keiki Stakhanovite.
- Or the phal is suffering (the old medium can be a cause) and it triggered the rescuing plan. The good thing is that if the main plant has a real issue and dies, the keiki will remain, with the root system of mom, so fast growing.

We shall see, but if the base growth is a keiki, you won't lost everything anyway. and if the phal has no serious issue and you've still the keiki, then it'll be even bigger and flowering.