Have I damaged my orchid beyond repair? I recently purchased my first orchid, a Phalaenopsis.?

It had 10 beautiful blooms and two unopened ones. I placed it close to a south sliding glass door. One of the unopened blooms opened. It did very well for 7 to 10 days, but I noticed that a couple of leaves were getting dark spots, like it was burning. I read the leaf color if this plant should be light green rather than the very dark emerald green like mines. A week later a spot on one leaf started to lighten. Initially, I gave it very little water. The second watering, 3 or 4 days later, I gave it at least a 1/4 cup tap water.. Now, I know that I have overwatered the plant and probably had it placed wrong (too much indirect light). The leaves have wilted and all except one of the blooms wilted and I think a fungus (white spots on one leaf) was developing. I have cut the wilted leaves and the fungus leaf. My question is, can this plant be saved? I am afraid of damaging it further. Should I place it in darkness for a few days? what should I do?

Have I damaged my orchid beyond repair? I recently purchased my first orchid, a Phalaenopsis.?
One of the 'joys' of owning an orchid is that in the beginning you will kill a few of them. It is normal to do so, and part of the learning process. One of the things I notice about phals is that they are very tolerant of a lot of conditions, except it is really possible to kill it by either rotting the roots or by wetting the crown. Now that the flowers have died off, it's time to look at exposed roots, and every healthy phalaenopsis should have thick green healthy roots that protrude into the air. If those are fine, then mist them daily with a bottle, till the roots turn a bright jade green.



If the roots look weak, or break off easily, the phal may be in serious trouble. Cut the dead roots off deeply and throw the rotten bits away. Give it artificial light with a full spectrum light source, re pot it in standard bark mixture with a few broken pot shards and charcoal (not the BBQ briquettes) thrown in and as they say often, fertilize weekly and weakly with an all round fertilizer. Phals do not have pseudobulbs so they need lots of water but make sure the water drains away easily and never soak them for long periods.
Reply:Thanks for your help both answers given were helpful to me. I have decided that I will sacrific the remaining blooms for the sake of the plants! Thanks Report It
Reply:Don't place it in darkness, but you may want to move it out of direct sunlight as windows can sometimes intensify the heat from the sunlight. Orchids are plants that take their nutrients and water from the air, so it should not be potted in dirt, but rather a loose mix of bark, or something similar. Mist it daily to keep the moisture content up for the entire plant (wilting leaves is an indicator of not enough humidity). I wouldn't recommend cutting the leaves either, as they don't produce them that quickly, and they need those leaves to photosynthesize. It should not be sitting in water either. It's possible it can be saved - you may want to consider sacrificing the blooms to save the plant. This is a good overall site for orchid care. Good luck!

http://www.beautifulorchids.com/orchids/...