Tell the readers where you are and where you have your Phalaenopsis. The orchid looks in reasonable condition, so maybe the blooms were due to die.

i'm still concerned about that black spot..the last one had that spot..and all i have left of that phal is one leaf...

i'm in Delaware..currently the phal is on my lighted shelf..where i have my other plants..its been raining all week so i pulled it from my table thats in front of my south facing window (i have a white curtain..not sheer)

Your plant is typical of how Phalaenopsis are produced for the Mass Market. Potted in Spag., in that cheap soft plastic "pot" and marketed in a solid pot. By controlling conditions in an appropriate house they can be made to bloom for Mother's Day, Valentine's day, whenever. There is one in the next room, "the kitchen" potted as per yours. It was marked down from $30 to $15 two days after Mother's Day. It is in pristine condition apart from one missing flower. I have not watered it since purchase.

Now, those "easy orchids" are not considered easy by most of the members of the orchid society near here.

Some fundamentals. Temperature range. 60F to 90 F

Humidity, moderate readings

Light. If you can get some strongly filtered sunlight on your orchid that would be good.

Watering. let the roots dry a bit and then water thoroughly. Do not spray the leaves!

My small collection spends the year in this room, Conditions currently in here are Temperature 20.3C. Humidity 61%. The sun is about to start coming through a North Window (Southern Hemisphere) That sun is filtered by an outside blind and an inner Matchstick blind. I fiddle with shading as the seasons change. Nil sunlight in summer, Too strong at latitude 34S.

I said your plant is in reasonable condition, hopefully if you can give it conditions where it is happy the black spot will not get larger.

There a good set of Culture notes on the Canadian Orchid Congress site and wealth of information in past Phalaenopsis threads.

I've probably read them..I tend to research a ton on all if my plants. The conditions you mentioned above are roughly the same conditions as I have them in..maybe the light..give or take. .

The last time this happened I tried to fix this myself and lost the entire phal so I posted here to prevent another loss

And you're right..they are not easy

Most of them go down-hill fast due to over watering especially if they are potted in spag.

Killed with kindness!

People think tropical and it goes from there. Watering + Misting + Spag = trouble

The spag is fine, but you have to stay your watering hand. Look at those leaves, they store water to get the plant through short dry periods.

Orchids that come from tropical mist forests tend to have thin leaves.

Sorry, not much help, but good luck anyway. They are rewarding because the lovely flowers last months.

So far im.not a fan of the sphag..it's why I try to.avoid watering and just keep checking the leaves and roots

The black spot got bigger. .two leaves have fallen off..it's definitely a goner

Step 1: take it out of the sphag.

It will not die being bare root for a few days. Honestly, that might help it if rot is your problem. Sphag carries WAY too much water for a Phal. Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and pick of a bag of Special Orchid Mix, NOT by Miracle Gro. Should be medium sized chunks. Repot the orchid in that bark once the roots have dried out, wait a day, then water thoroughly.

Hopefully that does something. Try slightly stronger light as well--I see you are in zone 7 like me. Mine get dappled sunlight and shade most of the day, as they're outside for summer.

I had already taken it out from the sphagnum moss..I even removed some the day I bought it to prevent this...the spot grew and lost 2 leaves and the rest aren't far behind..I knew once I saw the spot it was a goner..just not sure how this is happening as I don't water anywhere near the leaves or base

It's likely it was rotted before you took it home. Next time, before you take home a phal test the crown for firmness. You can also smell it - I can smell rot on some of the phals that come my way from a florist who gives them to me. They go right into the trash.

this time around i did check it..it looks really good..and one of the very few that werent just completely sitting in water...took it home..and decided to take some of the sphag out so it has more air..and cut off a few bad spots on the roots...tried to have a chance of not killing this one...totally didnt work..its amazing how fast these things can go

.and cut off a few bad spots on the roots

Did you sterilize your cutting tools?

Indeed

.its amazing how fast these things can go

Perhaps you were just unlucky with this particular orchid. In my opinion, it's even more amazing how extremely sick orchids are able to recover. IMO, you shouldn't be discouraged from buying more orchids in the future just because of this particular incident. As suzabanana said-if you do decide to try another orchid, make sure to check it very thoroughly. Feel all parts of the plant for any unusual mushiness, sniff around for any odors, take a good look at the root system. After finding a good plant and after you have brought it home, I would consider repotting immediately just in case you missed something at the store.

Best of luck in the future!

This was my second one...I knew once I saw that spot I was going to lose it no matter what and I was right..I was extra careful in checking it before buying and once I got home..I've given up on orchids..I wanted it to work..but orchids aren't cheap..and I'm self employed making nothing

I get orchids for free on a monthly basis. Both my local florist and husband's front desk office are looking to get rid of past-bloom orchids. They go in the trash or to me :) That is how you learn - you practice and figure out what works. But if the crown - the part where the leaves meet the roots - are anything but firm, toss it.

The pictures look good to my eye. The roots look good. Not sure if the spot is crown rot. Have you tried swabbing with some alcohol?

If you have some cinnamon you could try dusting that on the spot.

I would move the plant to higher light. Hold back on water until almost dry. Cut those spikes off and see if the plant starts making a new leaf. Do not keep the orchid underlit. Move it to stronger light, bright, not direct sun, but good bright sunlight.

Jane

Yes to both...it's not doing so good

I have it under a grow light with the rest of my plants

A couple of things...

1. Make sure there is air movement around the phal, a nice light fan breeze blowing on them helps to prevent any fungal issues. FWIW, I run my oscillating fan on the same schedule as my lights.

2. IMO, moving a phal directly from spagh into bark is a death sentence for the existing roots. You may want to place the entire root ball with spagh in a larger pot with bark mix around the edges of the spagh. Water the outside edges to encourage the roots to grow into the bark mix.

Good luck,

Bob

Yes there's a fan going all the time. I didn't put them in bark..it's actually sitting in a cup with nothing as a medium..it's pretty much gone now

I agree with Bob. Meant to mention that.

If you have it in a cup, put some damp sphag around the roots.

Has it lost all the leaves?

Jane

That's what it was in originally that I think killed it..I did this for the last dying orchid it just grew mold

Just about..if I touch it it would probably fall apart

Would you mind taking some pictures of how it looks like now?

It's not easy at first but when you get into the Rhythm and you touch your plant everyday and look at the roots forget about the flowers and see if the roots are happy once that's done you'll get it with no problem and then they become easy

I have a 5 shelf full of plants..orchids has me stumped

Actually, it might not be you! As I said way above, Phalaenopsis are considered difficult here in the sub tropics by orchid society members.

I have purchased a few of those no name Phals from various outlets and some have turned turtle in a short time after purchase.

Those outlets do not have "experts" tending the orchids, so they might have been watered too much. Who knows?

The one, purchased over three weeks ago, is still doing fine and that is why they are such good value as a cheap bunch of flowers. I know when it arrived in store, so I am absolutely sure it wasn't watered in the week it was there.

I have about 15 Phals, a couple are in spike and I have had less trouble with those purchased from an orchid nursery. A bonus is that they do not arrive potted in spag. The non bonus is that they are more expensive.

idk..things are usually my fault..so i just take blame that its me lol

Thank you so much Jane!!! I will do just that.

I used to kill every orchid I touched. Then I talked to some people in my area who were successful and they got me pointed down the right road.

Hi Heather, i cant grow African violets! I am not an expert on orchids either. But i do know orchids need more water than african violets and succulents. Your plant is drying out. Your orchid roots when silvery gray need water. I water mine at least once a week. I soak em and drain them. You can spray roots and black spot with hydrogen peroxide 3% (typical strength). Leaves can get wet! Just dont want to leave water standing in crown, base of leaves. I dry with ppr towel, tip upside down or leave outside where breeze will dry it. If roots are green or silvery it isnt dead. Even 1 root is enough to keep it alive. I killed my first 2. Now i have kept 1 alive for 3 yrs. Nursing a mini i got for mothers days. One was in bark which was breaking down so now i have it in no media. Trying water culture right now or might get bark again.. Dont give up! These phals are almost as easy as all my other houseplants. Didnt bloom this yr but lookin at my bark and roots i am guessing why not..lots of air roots tho! I love them and want to get more! Black spots arent always death! Dont give up! And water that baby!

Best advice: refrain from watering!! Once bi weekly. Drain fully so no sitting water! You can mist in between