Question
Hello.  A close friend has a much loved orchid and asked me to care for it at her home during July.  The orchid has 2 vines that wind around 2 stakes and then the vines go out to each side.  I am to allow tap water to "rain" into the pot for 5 to 10 minutes weekly, let drain, then place back in pot where it hangs (doesn't sit in water) on shelf in indirect light.  It was fine and now all of the flowers have fallen off of one vine.  The upper part of that vine also looks lighter green than the other one.  The other vine is just fine and the leaves are also dark green and healthy looking.  Is there anything that I can do to save it?  Any ideas about what I did wrong?  Thank you so much.


Answer
Kris, the only orchid that comes to mind with a vinelike growth habit is the vanilla orchid. I don't know if you can send a picture, but I question whether what you have is truly an orchid.  An orchid has a "column" in the center of the flower.  This is smooth with no hairs. Also, one petal is specialized into a lip and looks very diffferent from the other flower parts. The column is in the center of the lip.

It may be that one plant has been in flower longer than the other and is naturally losing its flowers due to the aging of the flower. It is not unusual for the newest leaves to be lighter in appearance than the older leaves.