Worried about grandma's orchid

[rannfar]

Hello All!
Recently I inherited an phaleonopsis orchid from my husband's grandmother (she moved into a nursing home and left the orchid in my care). I am completely new to orchids and have been trying desperately to keep it alive. Around Christmas time it sent up two spikes and has been blooming beautifully since then. Here's the problem, recently all of the leaves have started yellowing and developing dead spots and eventually falling off. I know that leaf loss is a natural part of the orchid life cycle, but I'm very concerned since all the leaves appear to be dying. Also, many of the roots appear to be shriveling up and turning brown. There is one new leaf that looks like it may be growing, but i think that one is starting to yellow too. Ive been watering the plant about once a week and keeping it in a sunny window.




Help! Did I just kill grandma's orchid??
Thanks!

[Leafmite]

Did you keep it too wet? Many orchids grow on trees and the 'dirt' is not meant to deliver water to the roots as with other plants but to keep humidity around the roots. If the roots stay wet, they rot. Also, phals don't like water to sit on their leaves and this can cause the leaves to rot. Were room temperatures always above 60'F? They like warmth. Lastly, they like very bright light but not intense, direct light. Hope this helps.

[silken]

A picture would really help.

[rannfar]

Here are a couple pictures.

I was thinking about possibly re-potting it, but I heard that re-potting while the plant is blooming isn't a good idea...

[silken]

That looks like it needed re-potting a year or two ago! It also looks like it might be getting sun scorched. It's up to you, you can wait till its done blooming but most Phals don't skip a beat being re-potted when in bloom. They bloom for a long time so if the media is holding too much water or the roots are in terrible shape the plant could be dead before the blooms finish.

be sure you have some suitable potting media such as bark, or moss or coconut husk chunks and a correct pot size before you start. It should go into a pot just big enough to hold the roots. My Phals seem to like clear pots as their roots can photosynthesize. That one appears to be growing right out of the pot!

[jrodpad]

I very much agree with silken. Looks like far too much sun and like it's overdue for repotting by a lot. The good news is, from the picture, it looks as though (a) it still has a great, healthy root structure, and (b) the new leaf sprouting from the crown is not sun damaged yet. The first thing I would do is get it out of the direct sunlight. Phals like this one like indirect light. Direct sun can cause those burn marks and destroy the leaves. After it's out of the sun, you can think about repotting.

Hope this helps and good luck!

-J

[Leafmite]

I agree with the others, too strong of light for a phal. Whatever medium you use for repotting should be chunky and leave spaces in between for air. There are some great repotting videos on You-Tube. Clear or plastic net pots are nice as you can see the roots. Good luck!

[rannfar]

Thank you everyone for your advice and tips! I called grandma and she said she's had that orchid for years and never repotted it! So, it's going to be getting a new home this weekend. I've also moved it to a different spot in the house that doesn't get so much direct sunlight. Thanks again!