What causes phals to get yellowed leaves?

[RandomGemini]

I don't do the ice thing. That seemed like a dumb idea when I read it on the tag. 3 of my 'chids are just add ice orchids. I water them the same as my other orchids, its just that the plants seem to get less abuse than the hardware store orchids do, either that or I happen to get them before they get time to get abused. LOL!

[Island Girl]

Yea, the "Just Add Ice" orchids actually seem to be of very good quality... Lol, that's probably because they don't use ice to water them while they are producing/growing them up for sale!

[No-Pro-mwa]

Yep they do seem to be quite healthy. I think I put ice in one once, just didn't seem right to me either. And there is no way you could do it to the mini's there is simply not room.

[NYCorchidman]

By telling people to water the orchids with ice, they hope people will kill more often and come back to buy more. hmmmm


Anyway, I think your phal did suffer the rot then.
It happened quite fast and the rot went all the way up to where the stem you said.
Do you smell anything? Usually rotted phal smell bad.

Even if it survives, it will take a good couple of years to recover.

[RandomGemini]

I didn't smell anything at all, but my fall allergies have been kicking in to high gear, so I don't even notice when the house smells like dog right now. LOL!

After I cut off all of the rotted parts, I didn't particularly notice a smell either, but much of the rotted area had dried out. What's left, doesn't smell. I've been debating on just finding another plant. It's like someone said earlier, this phal was more than likely a clone and I can probably find another phal with similar blooms.

I hate to give up on this guy, but since I have seen a lot of other orchids with this pattern on the bloom, some that look uncannily identical, it might be more worth my time to adopt another phal I have on my wish list and put it in the place being taken up by "the orchid hospital."

[NYCorchidman]

If you sense no foul smell, then it is a "benign" rot, which I find is a lot more common than the nasty miserable rot, which does stink and kill the plant fast.

Well, you be the judge.
If you have a common white, purple, pink, yellow flowering phal, then it's probably best to toss and start new.

[RandomGemini]

Thanks for all of your help and advice. It does sound like it's sort of six of one, half dozen of another on this guy. I've learned a lot! I'm so sad that this orchid had to suffer for my learning experience though.

[NYCorchidman]

You'll be surprised how much healing new beautiful orchids in bloom can make.

[Island Girl]

That is so very true NY... So true! ...ooh, better yet... replacing it with TWO new orchids! heheheh... We aren't bad influences at all! Nope nope! *shakes head*

Seriously tho, the most important thing that you took from this, is that you learned something from it... (Not everybody learns from mistakes) Don't feel bad about that! It's a good thing! So, you sacrificed a common Phal hybrid (that's easily replaced, no less! )... We have ALL done it! I guarantee it! (tho, sometimes, those "sacrificial orchids" are with much harder to find, & costlier ones, than the commonly seen hybrids... That sucks too! but equally hard on ya!)

[RandomGemini]

Maybe I'll just stick to grocery store orchids for a while then. They had a really cute one that looks a lot like the hello kitty phal at a grocery store that was like 7$. If I kill it, it won't break my heart and I won't be into it for 32$ plus shipping.

No, you aren't bad influences at all! I totally did NOT just add a new pin board to my pinterest page that includes my orchid wish list… LOL!