Question
QUESTION: Hi Jim,

I was given a beautiful Phalaenopsis in February.  It was healthy when I got it and the flowers were there for about 3 months. After the flowers fell off I continued to water it occasionally but since then all the stems except one have completely dried out and turned brown. However the leaves are still green and there are even be two new ones.   I have never repotted it, nor have I given it orchid food, which someone just told me I should do.  They were in my office for about 6 months where they had plenty of light but it was a constant 70 degrees.  I was also told that because my phlal has new leaves it can still be saved and that If I put it in the bathroom where it is warm and moist the flowers will grow back so this is what I have done.  Please let me know if it sounds like these flowers can still be saved and what I can do to help it.  Thanks.

ANSWER: Hi Sue,

Once the flowers have all fallen off and the stem turns brown, you can remove them as they will not grow more flowers on them.  The stem that is still green, leave it alone for now or until it begins to turn brown (more on this below).  

The person who told you that it needed warmth and humidity was correct - up to a point.  Here are what phalaenopsis like in their growing environment: bright but indirect sunlight, temperatures between 60F to 85F, humidity above 50%, some light air movement.  Water it when the potting media becomes barely moist and feed it a balance type orchid fertilizer at 1/4 the amount suggested on the container.  

As for the flowers growing back, the one green stem might grow a secondary or offshoot stem that will produce flowers this winter, occasionally new flowers will grow from the tip of the old stem as long as the tip remains green and alive.  Also, your phal may begin to grow some new stems this fall, be patient as it will take several months for them to be in bloom.  

As for repotting, now is not the best time to repot, wait until spring or after the flowers have fallen off to do it.  By the way, new leaves should grow to be as large or larger than the older leaves, if they didn't that could be due to (as you said) occasional watering and lack of orchid food.  Orchids are like you and I, we need some food and water to survive.  (grin)  

Hope this helped.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jim,

Thanks so much for your quick response.  You抮e right the new leaves are larger than the old ones.   And there is a new offshoot stem about one centimeter from the tip of the green stem (or at least the tip of the green part of it, since about an inch of it抯 tip has turned brown).  I抦 not sure if I should cut the brown part of it off and if I do where to do it.  Should I cut off brown part where it meets the green? Same question goes for removing the brown stems: do I remove it from the base of the plant where the leaves grow or should I leave about an inch?  

Lastly, after reading your reply I checked to see if there was possibly a new stem and amazingly there is one growing at the base.  It抯 small but definitely there.  It looks as though there is some hope.  Thanks for all your help so far.

Sue

Answer
Hi again Sue,

Oops!  Guess I forgot to mention to leave about an inch or two of the brown stem at the bottom when you cut them off.  As for the still green one, you have a choice of leaving the short brown part on or cutting it off.  If you choose to cut it off, go down the stem to a node (looks like a bump on the stem) then back up about an inch and cut the top off.  

That would be great if the new growth is a new stem.  I hope it is!!!!  Keep an eye on it as it grows, a new stem will be green or reddish green while a new root will have a green tip indicating that it is in growth mode then a grey or whitish grey root behind it.  

That's good the new leafs were as large or larger than the older leafs.  Keep up the good work!  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.