Question
QUESTION: A friend of mine  gave me a phalaenopsis as a gift for my wedding..... i watered it once in a week ...i ketp it near the window .....after a couple of months i notice its leaf getting red and slowly started to shed leafs, now it survive on two leaves of which one is getting rotted and the other has  split into two half.....please help me.... i wanna save my plant

ANSWER: Lovy, the first step is to repot your plant.  Find a source for orchid potting mix.  This is a special potting mix for orchids and is not soil.  When you have a bag of this special potting mix, remove a portion and soak it-- if it is not damp.  Then unpot your plant and discard the old potting mix.  Rinse off the roots carefully and you will notice several "Mushy" roots.  Remove these as they are dead and are, undoubtedly, the source of trouble for your plant. Healthy roots are firm and/or have green growing tips.  Place the plant's root mass in a suitable plastic pot and add the fresh orchid potting mix, tapping the pot as you add it to settle it among the roots.  Place the pot in an area to drain for a few hours.  In you have an east window sill, that would be best for growing you repotted plant.  Because it is l;ikely that you have had root damage, you may lose additional leaves.  Now you will be able to grow new roots and leaves for next year's blooming.  Do not water for a week and then water once per week until you see a new leaf coming.  Tehn you can start feeding the plant (1/4 tsp per gallom of water).

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QUESTION: a million thanks ,My phalaenopsis is growing gain.... i bought another  phalaenopsis for myself n this time i don want to lose it....please tell me how to take care of it. i have shifted to a new home ,so where should i keep them....how to water them , etc....

ANSWER: Lovy, glad to hear that your phal is doing well.  I recommmend that the first step to take with a new phalaenopsis is to repot it-- especially if, and when, it is not in flower.  Use a standard, fir-bark based orchid potting mix when repotting.  Soak a portion of it while unpotting the new plant. After unpotting the plant, rinse the roots thoroughly and check for any collapsed or mushy roots and remove them prior to repotting. You may need to use a slightly larger pot if most roots are firm and healthy.  To minimize breakage of roots when repotting,  place the roots into the empty pot and rotate the pot holding the plant in a fixed position.  This should help distribute the roots into the pot before adding the potting mix.  This repotting process is best repeating annually after flowering.

An east window is best for windowsill growing as the plant likes morning sunshine.  The north-facing window should be avoided if possible as it receives the least sun in the winter.  Water and feed weakly weekly.  Use 1/4 tsp of plant food per gallon of water.  Do this first thing in the morning to give the plant a chance to dry before nightfall.

I'm here 24 hours so if that raises other questions, please feel free to ask.

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QUESTION: Hi Wayne,
You have mentioned about plant food, what food is good for phals and how much should  give them? Also can you tell me how to water them. My new plant started to get its bottom leaves yellow? Can you tell me why and what should i do for that.i water them  once in a week.

Answer
Lovy, the simplest way to feed is to use a balanced plant food.  A balanced plant food is one that has all numbers the same (ie 20-20-20 or 7-7-7, etc).  The first number is for nitrogen, the second for phosphate, and the third for potassium.  If you can't find an exactly balanced plant food, get as close as you can.  If you use a low concentration (eg 1/4 tsp per gallon of water) you can use this every week instead of just watering.  You can however, use any plant food that you have as long as you don't exceed 1/2 tsp per gallom of water.  Some growers alternate with two different types of plant food because each has a different concentration of micronutrients (eg irom, magnesium, copper, etc.).  As long as your plant is in fresh orchid potting mix you can feed or water thoroughly once per week. Feed or water it early in the morning. If it is not in fresh orchid potting mix, the chances increase that watering once a week may be too frequent as the mix has broken down, is more spongy, stays wet longer, and allows less air to pass through.

Leaves do have a natural lifespan and will eventually turm yellow and fall from the plant.  Since the bottom-most leaves are the oldest, they are the first to turn yellow and be lost.  Other than the natural loss of leaves, the next most common reason is root loss. When you unpot your plant, preparatory to repotting, you will be able to check the root condition and remove any roots that are in poor condition. When roots that supply leaves with nutrients are dead or dying they can no longer provide leaves they serve with what they need and the leaves will die.