Light question and spotted leaves

[sperpich]

Hi,
I received some orchids from my Grandmas who went into a nursing home. They haven't been properly taken care of for a couple years now. I have a Moth orchid and chocolate orchid. The moth orchid is dark green and has red/purple on it. I read that dark green means it doesn't get enough light and the red/purple means it's getting too much light. It's in a east facing window. In summer I have sheer curtain I close. Just wondering if it's getting the appropriate light?

The chocolate orchid has small black spots on the old leaves and the tips are brown. Just wondering what it is and what I should do about it. It is in a south window but it is far away. Gets a little direct light during early evening.
Thanks

Shared album - Susan Perpich - Google Photos
Shared album - Susan Perpich - Google Photos
Shared album - Susan Perpich - Google Photos

[Dollythehun]

I think your phal looks great, maybe a bit on the high end of light, but good. The other, an Oncidium? just gets bummy foliage. That's not uncommon. But, it should have at least the light of the phal or more (maybe trade places) and more water. They like a lot of water.

[No-Pro-mwa]

I agree. Some Phals just have more red in the leaves, which usually means it will be a dark colored flower.

[Luckyelfie]

I have a phal that I am rescuing and it has been a struggle. When I moved her under artificial lights her leaves got really dark and red. When I put her back in her old home she gradually started to calm down. The leaves are a tad lighter, and I don't seem to be seeing as much red. I suspect that too much light was the culprit. Poor thing has been through so much.

[Ray]

The color and surface texture of that phalaenopsis suggests to me that it is getting too much light and not enough water.

Brown leaf tips on the oncidium similarly says insufficient water.

[Roberta]

The leaves of the "chocolate orchid" (probably Oncidium Sharry Baby) look pretty dark to me (so it is probably not getting enough light). So perhaps you have it and the Phal change places. Both need more water. I don't think the black spots on the Oncidium leaves are a big deal... these thin-leaved plants tend to get those. The brown tips, as mentioned above, probably are due to not enough water. When water is insufficient, salts from fertilizer and the water itself tend to build up in the leaf tips. When both of these plants are watered, it would be good to put them under the faucet and let the water run through them. That flushes out accumulated salts and pulls air into the root zone, as well as hydrating the plant. Just don't ever let them sit in water - let them drain well before placing on saucer or in a non-drained container.

[aliceinwl]

I agree that the Phal looks like it could use water. If you’re new to orchids, I recommend taking a look at the skewer method in the sticky at the top of the forum. I’ve found that you can kill them much more quickly by overwatering than underwatering. In terms of the Phal’s color, I wonder if it could be one of the Phal. Jiaho's Pink Girl type minis that seem to be everywhere by me. I have one and the leaf color is a perfect match: this seems to be their normal coloration and not a response to stress.

[sperpich]

Thanks everyone! I am brand new to orchids and just not sure what I'm doing yet. I really appreciate the help.

[Dollythehun]

Just a thought: if you can rebloom those orchids and take them into your Gram's room, I'll bet it would mean a lot to her!