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I am worried for my orchid!


Question
About a month ago i bought a Phalaenopsis and it has one stem with flowers and the other one with no flowers and the new bulbs that were coming out dried up.
Plus in the middle where the leaves connect I see a dark spot in it.. It is planted in moss and I dont see any other spots in the leaves or anything like that.
I am worried about it because only one stem looks good and the other one... and those black spots are worrying me.. this is my very first orchid and I dont want it to die... What should I do..?
Is there a way to post pictures here, because if there is I can take a picture and upload it to show the black spot I am talking about.
Please help!

Answer
Rayza, thank you for your questions.  First, I know that there is a way to post pictures as many have posted them with their questions.  However, I have no idea how they did that.  There may be an icon that you can click on to attach a picture to your question.

You need to locate some commercial grade orchid potting mix and repot your plant.  You can find hobby bags for sale at Lowes and Home Depot or other places that sell orchids.  The moss probably keeps the potting mix too wet resulting in a fungus infection (ie the black spots). Once you have your new orchid potting mix, unpot you plant and remove all of the old moss.  If any roots are mushy, these are dead and must be removed.  Healthy roots are firm.  Repot to a plastic pot with lots of drainage holes.  Pot size should be just large enough to accommodate the remaining roots.  Since the new potting mix is likely to contain fir bark pieces, the potting mix should be soaked for at least an hour prior to use.

I suspect that what you referred to a "Bulbs" were roots.  When the potting mix remains too wet, or is compacted, restricting air flow to the roots, roots will attempt to escape by trying to climb up out of the mix.  When they climb out of the potting mix, they encounter drier air and may die back.  During repotting, try to work these roots into the drier potting mix.

I suspect that the "stems" to which you refer are old flower spikes.  These old flower spikes will die back when flowering has finished.  Once they have turned brown you may remove them-- any new flowers will originate, in about a year, from the base of the plant which will send out a new flower spike.

Once you have repotted the plant you should apply a copper based fungicide to the black spots.  While it will not make the spots go away, it will prevent the spread of this disease.  Water your plant weekly and do this only in the morning.  If you have a small fan, you can use that to dry off any excess moisture from the leaves and top of the mix after each watering.

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