Question
Hi Wayne King,
  I know you have probably been asked these same questions time and time again and I am sorry if you have to repeat yourself. I am just having a hard time with two of my phals. I have taken some pictures and if you think they would be helpful to answering my questions if there is a way they can be sent to you I would like to know.
  My first Phal is the first I've ever had and unfortunately has been unintentionally tortured. All the plants I have had before loved water and sun, so unknowingly I over exposed the plant to both water and sun. Also while over watering the plant I poured water in-between its leaves and mold developed and most of them fell off. So almost leafless and rootless, I decided to try repotting it in ordinary soil. This is quite bad. 6 months later it is still alive, far from thriving but still alive in ordinary potting soil. Should I immediately move it to proper orchid soil, or should I leave it in the potting soil until spring and then repot? Also this unfortunate plant has fruit flies. How do I get ride of them? And since its near death experience it has been producing offspring, a lot of them, but none of them have roots yet. I know that there is something you must rub on the keikies but I do not know what it is called. Should I remove the keikies all together and help the plant survive, some of them are rather big and I was hoping to help them grow roots and remove them to put less strain on the phal. I really would like it to stay alive despite the harm I have caused it. Lastly where do you cut off dried stem? All the way at the bottom near the leaves or just under where the stem has dried up?
 My second Phal is in much better condition, since I knew much more about the care of Phals when I got this one. It has finished blooming a few months ago and I still have not cut off the dried stems. I am not sure where to and now realize with orchids when in doubt don抰 touch them. And although it was doing very well for months now, all the sudden two of its bottom leaves have turned yellow and one has fallen off. I live in Canada and the temperature in my office has gotten a little low a couple of times and I am afraid it may have gotten too low and this may be the cause of the leaves falling. Or it may be that these leaves were not getting enough light, so the plant chose to eliminate them. I am not sure why this is happening. The roots look pretty healthy. Also it is in a plastic pot and I wish to repot it in a clay pot. Is right now after it has bloomed a good time or should I wait till spring? Is it more appropriate to follow the plants bloom cycle when considering re planting or the seasons? Thank you so much for your time. I am starting to become a huge fan of orchid growing, and feel guilty every time my new found hobby causes my plants distress.
Thanks again,
Kasha  

Answer
Let me take the easy part first Kasha.  Removal of the old dried flower spikes is an aesthetic issue.  You can cut them off anywhere and it will not damage the plant.

Both plants should be repotted in an orchid potting mix.  This will also give you an opportunity to examine the root health of these plants before repotting.  Remove any mushy roots as they are dead.  I prefer to pot phals in plastic pots as clay pots are very porous and lose moisture from the root zone quite rapidly. Loss of leaves often is the result of root loss.  Since phals are usually in growth, repotting is not a problem.  At this point you want to create an environment in the pot where new roots can get established.  You will need some way to ensure  that temperatures near the plants do not drop below 55 degrees F.  Phals are houseplants and, unlike other orchids, do not like cool temperatures.  You would be in the best position to know where, at least at night, the plants might be the warmest.  If they are near windows, you might consider moving them waya from windows at night or when its cloudy as that tends to be the coldest area under those conditions.

Plant #1.  You will know more about the root condition after pulling it out of its pot.  If it has one or more healthy firm roots it has the best chance to recover its health after repotting.  The fruit flies will disappear after cleaning this plants roots and repotting it in fresh orchid potting mix.  Fruit flies lay eggs in the old decomposed mix so getting rid of that should help.  Orchid potting mix provides more air to the roots which allows the root zone to dry out rather than stay constantly wet. You will need to leave the keikis until they have their own roots and only repot them once they have roots an inch or two long. See if you can find plant hormone powder or paste or spread at the point where the keikis originate on the flower spike.  Rootone is such a powder.  If you can find that powder you could make a paste out of it by adding it to vaseline or petroleum jelly.  This might stimlate root growth.  While I agree that these keikis might sap strength from the mother plant, they are not yet ready to be removed to be planted in their own right.

I don't know where you live in Canada but I know of one orchid society in Ontario called the Ontario Orchid Society.  If you could attend meetings of an orchid society this could enhance your love of the hobby.  You could try googling "The Orchid Mall" and then "Orchid Societies" to see if there is one that meets near you.  Also, the American Orchid Society (AOS) has a web site with culture information that you might want to visit.  Feel to free to ask any follow up questions at any time.