Question
Hi,
my name is Jennifer and i have a question about my phalaenopsis i hope i spelled that right. i have 3 orchid plants two finished their blooms and one is still going strong after my last bloom on my first plant i cut the stem and after a while it turned yellowish brown but green at the very bottom and my second orchids stem just went all black. i cut my first stem down to the green in hopes of it to grow and i am not sure what to do with the black stem that plant only has two leafs on it now.and i don't want to loose it any suggestions on what to do with that black stem the 2 leafs are very green. i keep them in my bedroom theres light when ever i am around which is often and i water them as needed. the temperature in calif is a little warm but i try to keep it somewhat cool in my bedroom.please help me save my orchid :)

Answer
Thanks for your questions Jennifer.  What you referred to as "stems" on your phalaenopsis are old flower spikes.  Genetically, some phalaenopsis lose their old flower spikes, which die back.  These can be cut off as they are inert.  It will do no good to plant them as they will not grow.  On a healthy plant, a new flower spike should emerge in the spring.  Other types of phalaenopsis retain their green flower spikes and may rebloom on them.  This has nothing to do with the way you grow them.  It is programmed into their genes.

After each flowering, phalaenopsis should be repotted into a fresh orchid potting mix. Orchid pots need to have lots of drainage holes in the bottom and the pot should not sit in water.  When you repot, be sure to remove any roots that are mushy as they are dead.  Phalaenopsis orchids prefer an east facing window.  If the leaves are a deep green, this may be an indication of insufficient light for reblooming.  Temperature for growing these should be 65-85 degrees F.  They may tolerate temperatures outside of this range for short times.