Possible over watering going on and causing your symptoms. This time of year I water about every 3 days. In winter it's closer to every 5-7 days.

How much light is it getting? Hopefully in a north or east window with sheers to break down the light intensity.

Hey jbraun thanks for replying!

Initially I'd thought overwatering too but it hadn't been watered since August 3rd. Then there was the white fuzz and I just recalled that I had seen tiny white insects I'd thought were mealy bugs when I first brought it home. It faced a well lit east window which has currently no curtains but doesn't get any direct sunlight.

Also the pot it sits in doesn't have any drainage so there are stone placed on the bottom. When I removed the container I found a small amount of water at the very bottom.

Do you think this plant can be saved?

Thanks again

Here's another picture from the outside

Poor thing, it looks pretty scary, but could be ok. The black at the bases of the stems is not a good sign, but still worth a try. If it were up to me, I'd cut off the flowering stems (put them in water if there are still any flowers worth keeping and looking at. Get a pot that DOES drain (no drainage! Yikes!), unpot the orchid trimming off any clearly dead roots, dust the roots liberally with Rootone fungicide/ rooting hormone, and repot in medium bark. It may be the only good roots are those at the very top. Hard to tell. I also would not water it right away. Give it a couple of days. Instead, use a spray mister to moisten the very upper roots while the others dry off a bit. If you are lucky, it will only lose the lower leaves. if the crown of the plant is dead, you will know in pretty short order. I rescued a freebie phal. recently from a local plant service that gives away the "spent" plants. It looked fine when i got it, though the flowers were wilted, but in a couple of days leaves turned yellow and started falling off, then all the rest in a mass drop. The crown was dead. Sigh. Good luck!

Definitely poke more holes or slits into the pot for better air circulation and drainage.

Good luck
Maryanne

Thanks all for the advice!

Unfortunately I'm gonna let it RIP. I would take it out of the plastic container it smells terrible and the crown looks rotten (there is now white fuzz all over the crown)

**sigh** such a beautiful orchid =The plastic container that's shown has good drainage on the bottom just not any slits along the side. Anyone know of a reputable online store where I could purchase a good one? I'd tried to cut slits into it before but the plastic was tough and it started looking like it could go left i.e. cut the roots or worse myself

Thanks again =>

If you want to try again, do you have Trader Joe's where you are? Their orchids are super and not expensive. The only catch is that most of the time they are planted in spaghnum moss, which is a tricky growing medium. Too wet.

Check to be sure the orchid has viable roots (you can lift it out of it's ornamental pot and easily see the roots through the clear plastic) The orchids at least are in pots with slits already, though they are temporary (inserted in other more stable pots. Also some roots above the "soil" line are good, as they are usually in great shape.

What you do, is get one you like (phalaenopsis is a really good choice as they are pretty tough), and be prepared with a pot slightly bigger than the one they sell the plant in and medium orchid bark. do not hesitate to repot it immediately. Like the moment you get home.

You can cut the plastic pot off with scissors, two cuts opposing each other. Make a nice BIG mess carefully extracting the spaghnum, starting in the middle where the roots are likely dead. Be careful of the roots, only removing the rotten ones. If it smells bad, be sure to dust with Rootone, otherwise not really necessary, though I usually do it.

Hold the plant suspended over the new pot in the right position with one hand, and gradually pour in the bark with your other. Give the pot a shake or knock periodically to get the bark to settle amongst the roots.

Water once in your kitchen sink, set it in a tray or on a plate in moderate light, then don't water for a couple weeks. meanwhile, it shouldn't even blink unless something was wrong with it to start.

My feeling, and others might disagree, is that it is more risky to leave the plant in the soggy spaghnum than to repot immediately.

As for your one that is dying, you can see water in the bottom of the pot, so for some reason it didn't really drain. Orchids REALLY need good drainage. Good luck next time around!

Janine

I won't give up on the one you have. I rescued 3 phals from my friends and they were in worst condition than that. I am new to orchid too but I did (do) saved some of the phals, 2 out of 3 are spiking right now. What I did was I took it out of the plastic pot. Cut around in the bottom of the pot and poked 3 or 4 right in the bottom. Slit around the pot and cut holes for air. As for the plant, I cut out all the rotten root and picked out all the spaghmum moss, clean it all up. Soak the plant in tepid water with "root" liquid, (if you don't have that, my friend told me you can put a bit of sugar. I never did it that way though) while you are doing the other thing. After that, repot it as all other people has been telling you above. I am quite confident you'll safe this plant. I saw you live in Canada. Which province? I live in Alberta and it's cold in winter too but so far most my phals have been rewarding me with reblooming. It's a challenge but I feel great to know that I saved those plants which other people were about to trashed them. Good luck.

Tanie

If you have a soldering iron, or something that you can heat up at the stove, then poke the plastic pot, melting holes through. You can do this with the clear plastic pots and the dark ones too.

Best of luck~
ML

Or an electric drill. Then you don't have to breathe the melted plastic smoke.