Beginner questions on miniature phal

[luellaorchid]

Hello!! I am a complete newbie to orchids so bare with me. I've looked up some advice online, but because I'm so new to it all, I can't make sense from some of it and just wanted some reassurance!
I was given a mini phal as a present on Saturday, it's my first orchid. Hopefully the attached pictures will work - I have two queries, the first being that one of the flowers has gone crispy and shriveled - why is this? Is it it's natural time to fall off or am I neglecting it in some way? And secondly, one of the roots seems brown but isn't spongy - once again, am I neglecting it or is this OK? Does it look healthy in general? Sorry for being completely clueless
If anyone has any tips on how I can look after it best I'd really appreciate them. I have watered it once since getting it, I only gave it a little water and let it drain. On the leaflet that came with the orchid it says I should water it about once a week. I've since bought some orchid food but haven't given it any just yet. I'm moving to a new place on Sunday so I'm going to try and work out the best place to put it when I get there. Anyway, sorry for the ramble, I hope you guys can help me out!!

[Ray]

The blossom that has faded might have been damaged in some way, but based upon the others and the buds, I would not be the least concerned.

Likewise, the roots look reasonably OK.

The key to keeping orchids is allowing plenty of air flow to the root system, coupled with providing it sufficient moisture. Food therefore, becomes the 3rd priority.

That pot and the medium don't appear to be particularly airy (what potting medium is it in?), so while the plant is still in-bloom, I'd recommend watering it sparingly, so the water droplets don't fill the air spaces in the medium, and water it again when the medium is approaching being dry. Do not rely on the "once a week" recommendation, as the frequency of water depends a great deal on your growing conditions - temperature, humidity, and air movement being the three key parameters.

When you do decide to feed the plant, do not use a fertilizer particularly high in nitrogen (30-10-10 being common in the US) - I use a 13-3-15 formula, but your orchid formula is probably fine - divide 10 by the %N on the label to determine the teaspoon of fertilizer to add to a gallon of water (divide 13 by the %N to get ml to be added to a liter). I recommend using that for 2- or 3 waterings out of 4, with the others being plain water to flush excess minerals and plant waste products out of the medium.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'll add that a urea free fertilizer is better.

Try to find one where the nitrogen is either nitrate or ammonia based. I think the preference would be nitrate nitrogen.

Watering once a week is something sellers tell beginners so that they have something tangible and not so confusing to go on. Think of the once a week suggestion as training wheels.

Ray took the question right out of my mouth. What potting media is it potted in?

The roots are okay. They'll be fine.

Pots housing orchids need drainage holes, so make sure there plenty of them.

I think it'd be pretty helpful for you to see what Phalaenopsis (the genus name of the orchid you own - abbreviated Phal, scientifically) look like in nature. This is so you have an idea of what you're trying to grow.

The flower you mentioned was probably damaged like Ray had said. Judging from your pics, the flowers are pretty fresh, so they'd last you a while.

Your Phal is most likely a hybrid containing the species Phal equestris, btw. If it doesn't have a tag, it's difficult to properly identify with any great precision. Here on the OB, your plant would be referred to as Phal NOID.

Anyways...

Here's a link to the habitat of Phalaenopsis and what they look like in their natural environs.

The Kerangas

[Undergrounder]

Normally it would be the case that you can't ID a hybrid but you've almost certainly got a Phalaenopsis Sogo Vivien. They're very fashionable right now in florists around the world, there must be millions of them out there.

Don't worry they're easy to grow. As Ray said, water it sparingly until it stops flowering, then repot it in fresh mix and give the roots a good once-over.

It won't need a lot of food, feed it sparingly, and you can put it in a windowsill that gets good, bright, indirect or diffused light.

[luellaorchid]

Thanks for your replies and patience with me being a complete newbie The orchid is actually planted inside a plastic pot with plenty of drainage holes, the white pot you see is just for decoration! The potting media looks to me as if it's mainly moss? Is that OK? I've just left it in what it was bought in. Thanks for the tips about over watering and the food... I'm going to be careful not to water it too much. It's reassuring to hear it looks healthy in general. The tag it came with just says 'luxury mini phalaenopsis orchid'. I believe it wasn't bought from a garden centre (it was a gift, so I'm not 100% sure), but an outlet that sells flowers as gifts which is why I don't know too much about it!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

A suggestion may be to remove the orchid from the pot to examine the roots underneath the potting medium.

It allows you to check for root damage that may have occurred as well as see how broken down the potting medium is.

If you're unsure of how the roots and the media are doing, I highly recommend posting pics of the roots and the media.

[Undergrounder]

Yeah all that fits for the mini Phals. They come in sphagnum moss in a soft, clear, plastic pot with good drainage, and a thicker, outer white plastic/ceramic pot without drainage.

Mine just bloomed again even though i basically neglected it for a year so you should do fine with it.

The sphag moss is fine, but as i said, if you want to keep it and re-bloom it i would repot it into fresh sphagnum moss when it's finished blooming.

[luellaorchid]

OK, I've uploaded some more pictures of the roots just to be sure everything looks OK and healthy... the flash from my camera made the roots look WAY brighter but you get the idea of what it looks like.
Thanks again for all the advice, fingers crossed I'll be able to keep it alive!! I've always wanted an orchid so I want to do my best for it.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'd honestly still remove the plant from the pot and check the roots. Sphagnum moss may or may not be right choice of potting material for you. There's no way to really tell unless you check. It won't hurt the plant.

I also highly recommend you check out the link of the Phals growing in the wild. Scroll down and read the captions. It will not make sense at first or you may not even know what you're looking at in the beginning, especially if you've never seen them in the wild or have never really grown them for long. So feel free to ask if something doesn't make sense.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Oops...

One of those two people typing messages at the same time dealies.

Okay...

The roots look fine on the outside. How about on the inside?

Wet the media thoroughly before removing the moss. It makes the moss easier to remove and allows the roots to soak up the water, making them more pliable.

BTW Phal roots have the capability to photosynthesize. That's why they're green.