btw the roots were healthy light green colour. some are begining to turn black...could this be root rot?

What could be done? will cutting the plant's root KILL the plant?

first off, you say "the roots keep growing out of the soil" what kind of soil are you talking about? a Phal should never be grown in regular potting soil, the roots will quickly rot and the plant will die. they are epiphytes, which means they grow in trees and must be grown in either bark or sphagnum moss. roots turning black is a bad sign indeed. as for the yellowing leaves, this is a natural occurance sometimes, older leaves do turn yellow and fall off, but in your case, it seems like stress. i would repot the plant, cutting off mushy roots and dust with cinnamon, and put it in bark or moss. Google "orchid repottng" to show you how. also you asked about light. all Orchids need good light, phals included, people are mistaken when they think phals are low-light plants, they are not!!! put it back in the sunny room! morning sunshine is great for phals-just what they need! in order to rehabilitate your phal, it's going to need that light! you also said "the leaves are really dark green colour. so I don't think it's the sunlight problem" just the opposite is true! because the leaves are dark green that means you DO have a sunlight problem. it's not getting enough light. the leaves should be light green.

Yes, I agree. I think it's the "dark room". Get it out of there. Sunburn doesn't cause leaves to yellow, it really burns them. There will be a dead spot on the leaves where the sun was hottest, usually a flat pot. This will turn black or white.

But be sure to move it back to the sunny window gradually. Put it about 3 feet from the window, and feel the leaves. If they start to feel hot, it's too much sun.

Move it closer to the window about 10" every couple of days, being sure to feel the leaves.

It will thrive and bloom in part sun as junglspy said, as long as the leaves don't get hot. If they do, move it a foot or so further away from the window, not into a dark room. Light intensity halves at every foot away from the source, so moving it a foot reduces the light a lot.

The tiny new leaf is a good sign. You have the right conditions when you can see that new leaf growing about an inch a month.

Sorry, meant to say the burn shows up as a white or black spot, usually on the flat *part* of the leaf.

I meant to say the lighting was adequate - I think it's adequate judging from my photos that I've taken.

Compare to other orchids that I see in the nursery, the leaves are light green - whereas mine's glossy dark green - but I love this glossy dark green color.

I should say new roots tend to "grow on top" of the soil - I use orchid mix.

I'm not sure should I repot it or leave it alone.

Below is my blog that I have taken photos of my problem orchid please have a look.

I tried using photoshop to paste photos here but it doesn't work.

Here is a link that might be useful: save my my orchid

Your phal appears totally normal. The yellow is just the old leaves dying. They tend to do this when they sprout new leaves. The green color of the leaves appear fine. Try spritzing the aerial roots lightly in the morning only, to rehydrate the roots. The older ones seem to be suffering from lack of humidity. You cannot judge the adequacy of the light in your room if you are judging by your pictures unless you are using the light meter on your camera. An east window is best followed by a west or southern window.

All in all, your plant appears very healthy. Go buy another one so this one will have company.

Brooke

I agree that the o.p. should be concerned to see two leaves at one time snuff it. However, more pointed a question is: has the o.p. ever actually seen the phal grow a new leaf!? My phals are never without a little one or two inch leaf growing out to full size on top of the plant. Within four or five months they are full size and another one starts in short order.

H

Howard my P. Baldan's Kalaidescope almost always has the two bottom leaves start to yellow at the same time. The first one starts and a week or two later another will start. My other phals do tend to lose one leaf at a time.

Most of my phals will spike and shortly after, start a new leaf. They will sit for months with mature leaves without adding leaves. Basically I think it all depends on the genetics and how, why and when they grow - if all conditions are favorable.

Brooke

The color of the leaves looks okay. Orchids need light in order to bloom. If you like dark green leaves, an aspidistra is great. If you want blooms, the orchid needs light, and the lighter the better, without burning.

The pot looks slightly too big for the plant. Too much medium will hold too much moisture, and that can rot the roots. You might consider putting the plant into a slightly smaller pot or being very careful before watering again and putting a shishkabob skewer, popsicle stick or a chop stick into the medium for a few minutes and checking how wet it is. If it's barely damp it's okay to water. Any wetter than that, wait.

Thanks for your replies...just wondering what about the roots? why do they turn brown and dry out? should i mist them? or is this is the result of root rot? if that's the case, should i cut them out?

ok, well after seeing your pics, your plants definately not in too much trouble, the first description sccared me a little, lol! it may be time to repot in a slightly smaller one, you'll have to assess how big of a pot you need by the amount of roots you have. also it seems like fresh potting mix may be good for it. as for the leaf color, yes it's prettier when they are darker green, but don't you think the flowers outshine any sort of leaf color? and dark green leavs means the plants not getting enough light-period. if you like foliage, go for foliage plants. keep your orchid in the sunny room. i keep my phals right on a SE windowsill, which is VERY bright light all day, and they don't get sunburned and bloom beautifully. also misting the aeriel roots can help keep them from shriveling up, but it doesn't look like rot. good luck, and don't be so worried it's not as bad as you think!

If you worry about the light you don't have to worry about anything else. It's really that simple. Roots are part of the plant just like leaves are. All plant tissue required light for it's creation and for it's ongoing maintenance. Roots are constantly under attack by micro-organisms in the dank environment they exist in. In good light the little opportunistic invasions and what not by whatnot get taken care of without you even knowing. In poor light the orchid begins to lose the battle and sacrifices plant tissue above (leaves) and below (roots) to literally trim the plant down to a size that can be managed on what light input is available. Even healthy phals don't always have the prettiest of aerial roots and this is due to the low humidity in many homes. Misting helps but misting does not exactly duplicate 'humidity'. The water used to mist often has chlorine, is too hard or too cold and is not delivered often enough to do any good. Humdidity is invisible and it is constant. Vaporizers and humidifiers are better ways of raising humidity and preserving aerial roots than is misting.

H

If you check the faqs, there are some helps on figuring out light...and watering for that matter. Click on the link at the top of the page and you'll find just a little info.

What do you fertilize with and how often do you do it?

Fertizer...umm...the last time i used a fertilzer was back in January. I tried to use as little as possible - half a tea spoon full and mix it with a tub of water. then I noticed the top roots starting to swivel up so I stopped using it. Even whenI stopped using it, the new roots on top of the soil keeps turning black.

The pot you are seeing in my photo is really a small pot that is placed inside another pot for decorative purpose. I haven't transplanted it since I got this orchid last year.

Hearing all the responses - I'm very relieved that my orchid is still alive and isn't dying.

Thanks guys!

I took note of the fact that the pot was in a larger sleeve, and I still think the pot is a size too large. Phals should be in pots that just accommodate the roots and perhaps a tad more.

If you haven't fed the plant since last January, it isn't surprising that it isn't growing well. Bark has very little nourishment in it. Half a teaspoon full to a tub of water is too general. Most growers feed their plants weekly, weakly. That is, once a week but a very weak dose. Half a teaspoon to a gallon is a very weak dose.

You might consider repotting the plant. Check the roots and the medium. Has it broken down? Does it smell sour? Phals really enjoy being repotted and show their appreciation by growing well.