Question
Hi Wayne,
I live in Budapest Hungary. I bought a phalenopsis orchid 3 months ago from an orchid seller.
It has bloomed and leaves are thick and rich in color.
I water it once a week and its potted in a plastic container which I keep in a metal container.
I have two problems.
Shortly after i bought it, i noticed white egg-like spots on the bark. They look like a cluster of very tiny light yellow eggs stuck to the bark. I repotted the plant and carefully removed all the bark, cut away dead roots.
1. What could this be and will it return?
The second problem. After blooming, I moved it to a slightly sunnier spot hoping to encourage another bloom. Our summers start late, so the sun isnt very strong yet. after a couple days, i noticed a dark spot on one of the leaves. Holding it up to the light, it had become more transparent. It actually looked like it had been pinched by someone. I put fresh ground cinnamon on it and kept an eye on it. The dark spot became darker and today i notice little raised white bumps on the spot that didn't scrape off with the fingernail.
With exception of the spot, its doing very well. I should mention that when i bought it, the seller told me that it would need repotting soon.
2. Sunburn? Fungus? I also read on your other emails that someone had a similar problem and was gnat flies.
3. Also, in general with phalaenopsis orchids, can you tell me how much water light the require during a) blooming b)after blooming.
Thanks again, Kurt

Answer
Thanks for your questions Kurt and for taking the time to review my other responses to questions. I'll try to addresss your concern and raise one or two of my own and then you can send followup questions if needed.

It sounds as if your mix has been staying quite wet.  There are a number of possibile explanations for the "yellow eggs".  The most sanguine explanation is that it is a species of fungus that lives from wood fiber and likes damp or wet places.  The most insidous possibilty is that it is a species of scale.  However, the latter possibility is unlikely as they would also be infecting the leaves and tissue of the plant.  I'm going to assume that it is a wood fungus which will not adversely affect your plant but is an "indicator" of growing conditions that are too wet.  The fact that you had rotted roots also attests to a potting mix that has beroken down and retains too much moisture. The fungus should not return as long as your mix has a chance to dry out between waterings. Repotting the plant was a good choice.  An open mix with fir bark, osmunda, tree fern, etc would be desirable and not one with too much moss. You mentioned that you kept the plastic pot in a metal container.  I'm assuming that the metal container has no drain holes.  You need to be sure that the plant and its potting mix is not exposed to standing water as this can reduce air movement through the mix.  Also, I am somewhat concerned about metal ions that might infiltrate the potting mix and prove toxic to the roots of the plant over time.

Now to your second issue.  Burns can be caused on leaves when glass acts as a lens to focus the light on one spot on a leaf.  I think the spot, as you have described it, is likely sunburn caused in this manner. Phals prefer east window growng conditions when they can get early morning sunlight that is the least intense of the day. If you don't have an east window sill, you could try moving it so it gets less direct sunlight or use a translucent window covering to filter the light.

There is a lot of interaction between the nature of the potting mix and frequency of watering.  Watering once per week in a fresh mix would be fine, but not so in a water retentive mix.  The tried and true method is that when you are prepared to water, insert a finger down into the mix to sample the feeling of the mix several inches below the surface.  If your finger tip feels damp, hold off on the watering until it feels dry.  Potting mixes can look and feel dry on the surface, but be very damp or wet a few inches below. Unlike most other types of orchids, phalaenopsis don't have a rest period and don't vary in their watering requirments from one time of year to the next. They prefer temperatures of 60 degrees F to 80 degrees F with occassional exposure to higher or lower temperatures. Light levels should be maintained year around such that a distinct shadow is present on the leaves when you put your finger between the light source and a leaf.  For best flowering, there should be enough light so the leaves are more yellow green than a deep dark green.  The latter may look healthier, but is likely to produce fewer flowers than the the leaves exposed to brighter light.