Question
I have a moth orchid plant (phal... I don't know how to spell it!) and I have been trying my hardest to keep it alive, but I think it is dying. The leaf is really wilted and brown-y yellow. the roots are dry and crispy at the ends and are tan and fragile. I have read that they are supposed to be in special soil and pots and I have no idea if mine is.. I bought it at a grocery store and the woman said water it once a week. It lost its flowers 2 weeks after and now the stem is turning brown. I have been misting it with a spray bottle. I just need to know what to do to bring it back to life. And after it is revived how to really care for it because it is my favorite plant!

Answer
Hello Ashlee,

I hope it is not too late to save your phalaenopsis orchid plant.  From your description, it does sound like it might be close to dying but let's give it a try - OK.  

Wilty leaves could be due to too much or too little water, if you have been watering it once a week I believe it might be too much rather than too little.  But, if you maybe have forgotten to water it a few times, it might be too little water.  

Regardless of which it is, I would suggest repotting it into fresh orchid potting media.  Buy a small bag of orchid media ahead of time.  When you are ready, place some newspaper on the table then remove it from the pot.  Take off as much of the old potting media from the roots.  Cut off any soft mushy roots as they are dead (hopefully not all of them are dead).  If there are some live roots, you can put the phalaenopsis back into the pot with fresh potting media.  But, if there are no live roots on it, place it in a gallon size ziploc bag with a barely moist paper towel and seal it.  Put it in a warm shady place for a couple of weeks, open the bag to allow fresh air in then reseal it and put it back.  After about 6 to 12 weeks you should see some new roots to start to grow.  Continue to care for it as you have been until there are several new roots that are over 2 inches long.  Once they are, you can remove it and put it in a pot with potting media.  

Phalaenopsis like to grow where there is bright shade, temperatures between 60F to 85F, humidity above 50% along with some light air movement around it.  Water it when the potting media becomes barely moist.  It would be a good idea to feed it a little balance type orchid fertilizer once in a while.  

I hope this helps save it.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.