An orchid beginner with a dying Paph needs HELP!!!!!

[TUNGO]

I am a beginner orchid lover/fan/aficionado with a dying Paph.

The green mottled leaves are turning black brown and even though I have it under a shade and in appropriate media it looks like its dying. I have read my notes and what I can find on the net and I am not sure what else to do. I feed and water once a week and the pot has a mixture of phal orchid mix and sand. Even though the outer leaves are dying, there is a new green leaf coming. I am begging for HELP!

TUNGO!!! Desperate!!!

[BikerDoc5968]

Pics are always helpful to direct respondents in the correct direction. Having said that, normally lower leaves will turn yellow and die and are to be removed. This happens to the old "fan"; the portion that flowered. The new growth comes up around this and in time this "old growth" may die back completely. The other more serious concern is that the brown stuff is fungal/bacterial and needs to be treated with dilute bleach or cinnamon or some kind of disinfectant and then remove the nasty stuff with sterile tools.

[blackorchid]

Sound like over fertilizing or salt build up problem to me, I don't know, have you tried to flush the pot throroughly once a month?

[SP2340]

Originally Posted by BikerDoc5968

The other more serious concern is that the brown stuff is fungal/bacterial and needs to be treated with dilute bleach.

What kind of a ratio do you use to dilute the bleach? Thanks.

[unhappykat]

if its bacterial or fungal use a one to ten ratio of bleach to water. cut away the dying part with a sterile tool and paint the bleach mixture on the remaining portion of the affected leaves only.

[kiki-do]

I'm not a paph expert...far from it...but I have four that I've accumulated for about year now, and was told by an orchid seller that paphs do not like to go dry at all. Keep it slightly moist. Paph experts, would watering it only once a week be part of the problem?????

[unhappykat]

If it is growing in sphagnum moss once a week should be fine. In bark it may need water two or three times a week. Also if you are using clay pots it will require more water due to accelerated water loss.

[quiltergal]

Climate has a lot to do with it too. I'm not sure what it's like in Maricaibo, but feel pretty certain it's a lot closer to the equator than we are. Could be it's too warm coupled with not enough water.

Tungo, can you tell us what your growing condtions are like? How warm is it, how humid, are you growing it inside or outside?

Never mind I just noticed you're living in Miramar.

[Lagoon]

As Terri has already mentioned - we need more info from you about the growing conditions out your way - what kinda media is in placed in? (sand) ok, but what kinda orchid mix?
How much shade is it getting, is there any sap comming from the tree?
Pot size compared to root size?
Fertilizers, how much?

There's too many variations to consider to give you any one answer