HELP!!!!!
 

Hi. I really need some help. I am a first time orchid owner and my plant looks like it might be dying. My Phalaenopsis was thriving when I first bought it. Now (3 weeks later) it still carries all its blooms but has lost the stiffness in the leaves. The leaves are not stiff and sticking up anymore. The leaves have become kindda fleshy and they droop over the side of the pot. The flowers look as if they are starting to droop as well. I gave the plant a little water...not to overdue the water since I heard that was bad. The coloration of both the leaves and flowers look great. Still have those dark green leaves and bright purple flowers. It sits next to my second story window with the sunrise being the strongest light that enters the room. Does anyone know what could be wrong or have any suggestions?

Wow! This is the second time today this question has come up!
Read through this thread:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-wrinkley.html

:) By the way...hello and welcome to Orchidboard :)
You'll find answers to all your orchid questions here...we've got a wonderful community full of people willing to share what they've learned.

Could you post a little about yourself inour Introductions - Break The Ice forum? I know our members would want to greet you properly :D

If you have any questions, feel free to ask :nod:

:D Bonjour Newbie, Welcome!

2 things come to mind ... Under watering or root rot.
You say, you got ur orchid 3 weeks ago -- How many times have you watered ur phal?
Can you tell us what kinda media it's in?
Most often blooming plants that are bought have lousy broken down media.

Also can you provide us with a photos? Always helpful for sure!

I think the first thing I would do is repot it. Sometimes you bring them home with the beginnings of root rot and don't know it. The best way to tell what's really going on is to repot and take a look at the roots. If they are black and squishy you have root rot. If they're not black and squishy it could be it's not getting enough water. With warmer weather upon us they tend to dry out a little quicker. If you've not repotted before you'll want to get some orchid bark. Take the plant out of the pot and gently tickle the old medium out with your fingertips. Clean the pot or find a new one (but not too big, just a size up from the one it's already in). Fill the pot about 1/3 full with a bark/charchol/perlite mix. I use 4 parts coco husk chunks to 1 part charchol, 1 part perlite. I usually soak my coco overnight too. Hold your plant so the base of the leaves are at rim level. Add more medium and gently tap the sides of the pot to settle it in. Give it a nice drink and cross your fingers.;) Good luck!

I agree with all the responses above. Could be lotsa things. My first reaction is too much water, but that might not be correct. Lack of water would not show up quickly. Might take weeks for lack of water to cause limp leaves. Phal leaves are normally drooping, so maybe what you are calling limp is just drooping? A picture or two would help a lot here.

Always remember to make the pot size just comfortable enough to hold the roots.It's the root mass that dictates the sz of pot.Sometimes this even means going down a sz or so not up but that depends on what you find when you dump the plant out to check roots.Remember to cut away all dead mushy roots.When you do water --not just a 'little' at a time --flush thoroughly to help control salt buildup.