Question
I am the proud owner of a beautiful phal i bought from *cringe* Costco last year. I re-potted it early this spring in a bark/charcoal mix and started misting it every morning with a water and orchid food mix (1/4 food to 3/4 water). It gets morning sun daily but I've also been sitting it outside once a week. I live in Iowa, so the humidity this time of year on a sunny day is usually around 50%.

Within the last week one of the lower leafs has developed a black spot, and than yellowed and withered, it also has tiny white bumps that can't be scrapped off. This black spot has now started spreading to the upper leafs! Is my phal sunburnt and what can i do to help the poor thing?

Answer
Hello Kacy,

Oh no!  You bought your phal at Costco!!!  That's okay, I've bought a few orchids there myself.  Just couldn't resist!  (LOL)  

Whoa!  You feed it with a mix of 1/4 food in 3/4 of water?  Do you mean 1/4 teaspoon?  And do you mean 3/4 cup of water?  Phals do not require lots of food (fertilizer) to grow and bloom well.  

The black spot might have been due to sunburn but if it is spreading, it probably is not.  Black spots that grow larger are usually due to a fungal or bacterial infection.  The unfortunate part is that it is spreading to the other leafs which indicates that the infection has spread and will eventually kill the phal.  Once this happens, there is not much you can do to save it without performaing major surgery on the phal, leaving very little of the phal left and even then chances for survival are not good.  

My suggestion would be to throw it into the trash and buy another phalaenopsis.  If you do, write back and I'll help get you started.  Iowa has some extremes of weather and temperature so I'll also include suggestions for your area.  

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.