Question
I have one phal and I am not very familiar with caring for orchids.  I have lived in Chicago my whole life and am used to extremely dry air during the winter, but in our new unit, I was startled to have humid air because of a different heating system.  The humidity took me totally off guard, and I had problems with root rot for months as I slowly learned how much less watering my plants actually required- I think it was a state of total disbelief the pots weren't dry yet.

Probably due to a combination of trimming down the roots from the root rot (there is one very big green root and a few little white, very skinny roots left), overwatering, and even underwatering as I tried to figure out what was the matter with this air, two leaves withered and the rest fell off.  My phal and I have since found a happy middle ground with the soil, pot, light, fertilizer and watering combination, and it is slowly looking better.  I recently checked the roots and they appear to be growing a tiny bit.  The two leaves went from being light green to a very green green, and I understood the withering to be permanent and was waiting for new leaves to grow so it could rebloom when it was ready.  Although the flowers had fallen off when I practically drowned the poor thing, the  spike had remained a dark green the whole winter so I left it alone until just yesterday, when I noticed it was brown and shriveled only at the very tip and trimmed it right above the node that was still green.

Finally, my question: I was hoping to see some healthy leaves and roots start growing and worry about reblooming once that happens, but no leaf growth is in sight.  However, 3 of the 4 lowest nodes (it has about 8 or 10 nodes and is a tall spike) started growing buds two weeks ago.  I'm concerned the phal won't grow healthy roots and leaves if it blooms because the flowers will use up the energy.  Should I trim off the spike entirely?  Should I trim the spike to right above where it is blooming?  Or is reblooming a good sign and I should let it bloom?

Thanks for your help.

Answer
Renae, thank you for a good description of your situation and concerns. As I understand it, your plant has two leaves but no new growth in sight.  I will assume that you have recently repotted your plant in a good orchid potting mix and used a plastic pot with lots of drainage holes in which to repot it. Whenever trouble-shooting an orchid challenge, I always first focus on the potting mix and pot.  If it is the appropriate potting mix and pot type , you should never have to be concerned about root rot which is the most common problem encountered with phalaenopsis orchids.

You are right to be concerned about the distribution of energy in the plant.  Energy spent in flowering is that much less for growth. I would cut the flower spike down to just above its second node.  If you have created the right conditions at the root zone, new roots should develop-- however slowly at first.  New roots are the key to overall plant health and growth.  As long as you have some good roots and leaves, and the proper growing conditions at the root zone, your plant should recover.

Keep me posted as new conditions or questions arise.