White Phalaenopsis flowering itself to death :(

[moonsful]

So i have this simple white Phalaenopsis for few years and ever since I've had it, it never stopped blooming now it produced 2 spikes and more branches on each spike with many large gorgeous flowers. However, the plant seems to be dying i haven't changed its position in the house it sits in the kitchen on the windowsill and i water it once a week as usual although i don't give it any fertilizer just because it seems to do fine without it, but now it looks limp and wilt although the top leaves seem fine just the bottom ones are dying. Also one of the bottom leaves has turned brown shriveled and died . This is my very first orchid i don't want to lose it but i also don't want to cut the gorgeous spikes off. My question is how do i stop it from blooming for a while and how do i stop the leaves from dehydrating and dying. By the way, I checked the roots and they seem fine and there's plenty of them. Oh and i tried cutting off the spikes before they just keep on coming back

[hanzy08]

how long have you had the orchid?
bottom leaves usually shed that's normal. phalaenopsis are know for flowering for a very long time. a whole year is not unusual. once a week watering seems fine if its planted in bark. if the media is sphagnum moss, be cautious of your watering. water only when approaching dryness.

[moonsful]

I've had it for over 2 years and its always been in bloom :s

[RosieC]

Do you water by always once a week, or when it needs it? You might have had different weather causing it to dry more or less meaning that it's either not getting enough or too much water (too much can block air flow to the roots and cause rot). I would check it's roots.

You say it seems to not need fertiliser... but maybe it does and it's only just showing the signs of that. I don't know, just throwing it out there. They can last a long time without but do need something eventually in most cases (though I've known some people say they don't, they certainly don't need much).

I'm confused. You want to stop it blooming, but don't want to cut the spikes. This seems a contradiction. Basically if it keeps flowering then cutting the spikes seems to me to be the way to stop it.

If old leaves are dropping it could be normal. If a lot are dropping it does indicate it's not getting enough water to me. That could be due to root rot from too much water/lack of air in the medium, or it could be due to not enough. So I come back to suggesting checking the roots.

[awest]

I would try lightly fertilizing. Use one with a higher nitrogen content (first number X-y-z). You can also add some superthrive or other growth hormone additive. Both of those should motivate it to grow more leaves and roots rather than flowers. No promises of course. Some plants just want to watch the world burn.

[Island Girl]

I had the same thoughts as Rosie posted... Can u post a few pics? It would also be good to take it out of its pot, remove all the media, and take a pic of what was inside the media: roots, or a lack there of... So we can better advise you.

[Leafmite]

It might need a bit of iron and calcium. Sometimes nutrient deficiency does a plant in. Certain nutrients are needed for healthy growth. A tiny bit of fertilizer each watering will help, just a little pinch.
Plants usually won't bloom themselves to death. I think you just need to fertilize, possibly change the medium. However, a picture truly would be helpful for us to diagnose your phal.
The only things I can think of, if your roots are doing so very well (green and firm) is that perhaps water got into the leaves and caused some rot there? Or, perhaps the air is too dry due to air conditioning/dry summer? I don't know where you live so that is just a blind guess. I hope we can help you save your orchid. It sounds very much worth saving if it blooms so well.