Orchid drying up!

[camille1585]

Phalaenopsis is the most common orchid around and the buds blast quite easily on them.
As for care, being in Scotland it would be good to put it in a south facing window (or west facing) to make sure it gets enough light, especially at this time of year.

If the phal is in a clear plastic pot, water it when the roots look silvery-white. Green roots means that the plant has enough moisture. What is it potted in? If it is in moss, be careful, it's very easy to overwater, so repotting in a bark based medium would be a good idea. You should fertilize with an orchid fertilizer at almost every watering too.

As for humidity, if you are concerned that yours is too low (although phals can withstand 45-50% easily) you can place the plant on a tray of pebbles with water. Just be sure that the pot is not sitting in the water!!

If all the buds are gone now, you can try to cut the stem right below where the first flower was. Sometimes this will stimulate the plant to go a new stem on the existing stem. However if the stem goes brown or yellow, you can cut it off at the base, it won't do anything more.

Good luck with your plant, don't hesitate if you have more questions!