Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I have an orchid - phalenopsis. I bought about a month ago and it was blooming, but unfortunately the top with the flowers broke. So I cut off the seem above the third node. I have not fertilized yet.
I water it ca. once a week, only in the morning, making sure the water freely flows out. The soil is practically dry then, but little drops of water gather at the pot and there seems to be a little moss inside the pot.
The temp in the room is ca. 18 degrees C at day and ca. 15 degrees C at night.

I noticed ca. 2 weeks ago that the leaves are drooping; some air-roots seem wilting (and are soft to touch). Under the link I attach the pictures of the plant:
http://fotoforum.gazeta.pl/5,2,tezas.html

in short, it seems not to be doing well. I also notice a white residue on some of the bark (picture ending with ??. What should I do to save it? Its flowers were beautiful and I抎 love to see them again?br>
I抳e already lost one orchid and I抎 like to avoid losing this one as well..

ANSWER: Joana, I suspect root rot is to blame.  You can confirm this by pulling the plant from its pot and wash the roots.  You should find roots that are soft and mushy. These need to be removed. Healthy roots are firm and provide a measure of how likely the plant will be send out new growth.  I recommend that, before you pull the plant, you obtain some fresh orchid potting mix that you can use to repot the plant.  Moss in the potting mix often keeps the mix too wet.  On the surface, the potting mix might seem dry, but further down in the potting mix, it is likely to be damp and to be decomposed. Another hint that this is the case is the white residue on some of the bark. The fact that part of the plant is wilting also supports the idea of root rot.  With dead roots, the plant is not able to support those parts of the plant served by the dead roots. Your best hope at this point is to generate new leaves and roots in the fresh orchid potting mix.  Those parts of the plant served by damaged roots may be lost, in part, or in whole.  It sounds like your growing conditions outside of the pot are fine but conditions inside the pot need to be improved.  In the event of future purchases, a little preventative effort right after purchase will pay dividends later on.  I recommend repotting as soon as the orchid goes out of flower as it is impossible to know how long the plant has been in its pot.  In cases showing difficulties, such as you have experienced, it may be necessary to repot as soon as you get the plant.

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QUESTION: Thank you - I'll repot.

Do you think the pot should be smaller? This one seems to me a little deep...
Also, should I use larger pieces of mix? I believe that now some of the water is retained by the small (almost dust-like) pieces, which does not benefit the orchid.

Thank you for  your advice!

Answer
Yes, it should be smaller and, ultimately, the size should be even smaller if the root mass has been diminished by rot.  Use a pot size that the roots will just fit into without being cramped.  I recommend that you sift out the dustlike particles and use particles with an everage size of 1-2 cm.. You may want to soak the potting mix for an hour or so and then drain it before use.  Dry fir bark repels water and will help to break down the repellancy.