Question
Hi, I'm really worried about my orchid because it looks like it is drying out.

I've had this orchid for at least a month, and it was perfectly fine, until a week
ago. My pot contains two orchids, one is perfectly fine and the other, well... it
started by the flowers falling, then it started turning into a yellowish, brown
color, and the bud that it had dried out, the stem at the end is red and it feels
dry to the touch.

Is there a way to help my plant get healthy again?

Thank you

Miren

Answer
Thank you for your question Miren.  First, I'll make a couple of assumptions:1) you have phalaenopsis (aka moth) orchids and 2) the leaves are fine.

It is normal to lose the flowers (and an occassional bud) near the end of a flowering cycle.  It is also normal for the flower spike supporting the flowers/buds to dry up. It is now time to concentrate on providing a healthy environment for future leaf and root growth leading to another round of flowering next spring or summer.

Phalaenopsis orchids should be repotted after each flowering.  They need to be repotted in a pot that has lots of drainage holes using a special orchid potting mix. Most places that sell orchids also sell orchid potting mix.  I know that the garden centers at Lowes and Home Depot have such a potting mix.  If you have a choice of potting mixes, choose the one that has fir bark particles averaging about 1/2 inch in size.  Before using the potting mix, soak that portion you plan to use for at least an hour as dry fir bark repels water and soaking reduces the repellancy.  When you are ready to repot, unpot your plants and rinse off the roots.  Remove any mushy roots as these are dead.

In nature, most tropical orchids grow with their roots partially exposed to the air.  The environment is usually very humid to prevent the roots from drying out. By growing them in pots, the potting mix turns to a more soil-like mixture over time and that leads to root rot.  By repotting, more air can get to the roots and the potting mix holds less water, lessening the chance for root rot.