phalaenopsis possibly sun damage

[gretasophical]

New and need some help! Hi everyone

I bought my first orchid last week at Intertuin, a garden store here in the Netherlands, it is a phal.
When I bought it home it was pretty much pushing out of the pot! It's a pretty big plant, two flowering spikes.
So I repotted him, because I thought the container way to small and I had read about the moss they use killing them, which I found all around the roots. I used an orchid potting mix.
I then made the stupidest mistake and put in the south window, plenty of sun, that's good I thought.
Did I mention its Dutch summer sun that doesn't set until 9.30pm and is really hot, even through the window?
So I removed it the next day and put it in the north window which gets a small amount of light.

My problem; obviously it has gotten too much heat and sun the first day I bought it home, I took some pictures and was wondering if you guys could confirm that it has had too much sun and not something else like a fungal disease and how to treat what's going on? Just keep it out of the sun?
I see some yellow to the leaves and some yellow spots.

It has been flowering really well, almost all of the buds have popped open in the past week. I watered it once when I got home on a Wednesday and didn't do it until the Thursday next week even though the media was still a little wet.


Thanks for your help, and I hope this is the right area to post this in.

[Vanda lover]

I wouldn't worry about it. I don't see that much damage. A friend has given me plants that have far more damage. As long as the plant is healthy it will continue to grow new leaves. You should see what I did to my vanda! I used a new grow light during the winter that was much more powerful then I thought, and it has nasty burns. It is still growing new leaves.

[gretasophical]

Haha thanks so much! You have calmed my fears

[Wynn Dee13]

I think it looks fine too. The only thing is that it looks like it could be over potted. Orchids like to be snug in their pots. You want to pick a pot that just fits the healthy roots snugly. Don't match the pot to the top growth. If the top growth makes the pot unstable because it is top heavy just set the pot in another heavier pot that will stabilize it. Over potting can result in root rot because there is too much medium that stays wet for too long.
Sphagnum moss doesn't kill orchids but the ones you get at nurseries and big box stores are usually packed really tightly in moss because it was suitable for the grower to grow them that way. But in our environments the packed moss can be a problem because it holds too much water. The trick with sphagnum moss is to pack it loosely. But use whatever medium you feel more comfortable with.
Many people put a wooden kabob skewer in the middle of the pot to use as a gauge for watering. Keep the skewer in the same spot and pull it out to check when to water. If it is wet don't water and if it is dry water. If you are not sure if it is dry enough wait one more day and check again. You want to keep it in the middle of the pot because that is where the medium dries out last. More people kill orchids from overwatering than under watering. Again if your orchids roots have a lot of space in that pot I would down size to a smaller pot. Phals will also grow roots outside the pot and that is normal. It doesn't automatically mean the plant is crawling out of the pot. Good luck!

[gretasophical]

Ohh ok I see, thank you. Do you think it will be ok in this pot as long as I don't water it too much and use the skewer method as an indicator for watering? Or will the orchid be ok with another repot?

Thanks again

[Wynn Dee13]

How long ago did you repot it? If you just did it and it hasn't had a chance to establish itself I would put it in a smaller pot. But be careful and try not to disturb the roots too much. Phal hybrids take repotting pretty well. I think it would be better to get it in a smaller pot instead of risking root rot with it over potted. You can see if someone else has something different to say too. It's just what I would do.

[gretasophical]

It's only been 2 weeks now so I think I'll risk it and repot it.

Thanks

[Vanda lover]

I agree that the pot looks too large. It is much easier to prevent rot if the pot is small enough to dry out quickly. Phals are pretty forgiving when it comes to being transplanted.

[gretasophical]

Re-potted this morning, really glad I did, soil was very moist.

Thanks everyone for your help!