First, pick up the plant right now and take it to the sink. Water it in all parts of the pot using the sprayer for at least a minute. Keep the water out of the center of the plant. Then don't water for about a week, they repeat.

Second, I want the name of the HD person so that we can help her to stop killing orchids.

lol I don't know her name, but thanks for the tip ;) I am at work right now, I won't be home until after 5pm tonight (Eastern Time), but as soon as I do I will water it. How do I keep water out of the center of the plant? Do I pour water in the pot, or just spray it? I don't understand how to keep water out of the center, it's just going to pour through the whole thing, isn't it? Thanks so much for the quick response! :) Any idea of what's going on with the teeny bud on the end? Do you think it will start growing once I start watering it again?

By the center, I meant the part in the middle of the plant from which the leaves originate. There is a place there where water can form a pool. If you get water in there, take a bit of paper towel and wick it out.

Pour lots of water through the pot. Most of it will run out. That's the way to water orchids. You can't water an orchid too much, just too often. I said sprayer, not in the spray bottle sense, but the rinse-food-off-dishes sense. It spreads the water around the pot better than the faucet.

As for the location, as far as the plant is concerned, it is practically dark. That bud will not develop. In fact, right next to a north facing window is problematic if there is any obstruction or overhang.

Don't worry tho, all will be well. Read the FAQ at the link above. We are passionate about our orchids. Please don't be discouraged. We were all new once ourselves.

Orchids are just plants. They come from all parts of the world. Like a plant you would choose for your yard, there may be plants that you would never choose because they won't grow in your area. The same with orchids. The good news here is that Phals are very well adapted to be a house plant.

Thanks SO much! So a north-facing window is a no-no, no matter how close to it is to the window? I'm surprised cause that side of the house gets the most sun, I figured that would be best. So what would be better? East? Or West? Or South? I'll check the FAQ's right away, I didn't even see them! Thanks! Do you think the bud not developing is due to the lack of water and light? Thanks again for all your help!

Yes, it needs water. Even air plants need water every now and then! That is why your bud has yet to open. Also you should read through the threads on repotting a phal. HD plants often need a quick repot because the medium is so old and broken down. You should read through some threads and come back with specific questions. Much easier for us to answer that way. Good luck!

Without more information, I would pick east. North can be enough for a Phal sometimes, but usually not.

Flower development depends on both, but light primarily. An orchid will grow in an under lighted environment, but will not bloom.

So even though my north window gets more sun than my east window, I should keep it in the east window? The east side of my house gets sun only in the morning, the north gets sun most of the day (That's the side of the house I have my tomato plants growing on). Keep in mind I keep the plant right next to our fish tank so it gets flourescent light from that also and they're pretty strong because we have all live plants in the fish tank.
Any signs I should look for to tell if my substrate is too old?
Thanks everyone! I've been reading through old posts and the FAQ's and it's been very helpful :)

Where do you live, Jessie? It will help us if we know your state or at least the zone you live in.

I thought at first you must live in the southern hemisphere since you are getting sun thru your north window, but you say it's the US.

I have no overhang on my house, and 13 north windows, each of them absolutely useless for plants, and totally sunless except for a sliver of light that comes slanting in at a very sharp angle *from the west* around 5pm, and lingers for about an hour or so til it goes behind the trees.

So I can't discern how much sun your north windows actually get. But probably not much. Truly. *Not much*

Also, "near" the fluorescent lights on your fish tank honestly is unlikely to be enough light-- how big are the lights, 48" or smaller? How near is it-- 5 inches directly under the middle of a bank of (4) 48" fluorescents is what you need. "Near" isn't going to cut it.

The fact that fish-tank plants are living under your fish lights means nothing about how good the light is for orchids-- lots of these plants grow in nature at the bottom of ponds, where it's very dim. Many orchids grow near the tops of trees where they get quite a bit of light.

This debate with newbies about how much light seems to be happening every day here. Every newbie (including me, once) makes the same mistake-- thinking orchids need a lot less light than they actually do to thrive and bloom.

You should use the search function and put in "phals", "light" and "howard" to find the many dozens of previous posts on this issue.

You will also find reading the culture notes at various orchid vendors worth your while.

Man am I embarrassed :( I got my east and west mixed up! I'm such a doofus.... I'm so sorry.
Anyways, so it's a SOUTH facing window, not a north. I live in Massachusetts. Here is a picture from google earth, my house is the one smack in the middle and the bright side of the house is the side it is on (the side with the white car in the driveway).
{{gwi:173269}}
Also, it is RIGHT next to the fish tank, practically touching it. The table it is on IS touching it. The tank has 110 watts of flourescent light and it definitely gets light from it. We have all med - high light plants in the fish tank. We used to keep our bamboo there and it flourished.

Here in New Jersey in the fall and winter I have my phals in the southeast window, set back about two feet. In the spring and summer they go outside on my covered patio, where they get great morning sun and then some late afternoon sun, and they thrive there.

As you have discovered, your window that gets the most light all day is actually a south facing window. The light from the aquarium may keep your plant barely alive, but it won't thrive and bloom. Light is the most important factor in growing orchids. Get the light right, and the rest will fall into place.

LOL....very BIG difference in north and south windows when it comes to orchids. It should be fine in a south window. It MIGHT be fine next to the tank. A lot depends on just how much light it is getting there and perhaps more important, for how long? If you have those lights on for 14-16 hours a day, it may be alright in that spot. In any case, you can leave it there awhile. It won't die there...it just may not thrive.

Most orchids in my experience will not develop the terminal bud. Sometimes, if something happens to a bud lower down, the one on the end will develop...but usually it shrivels. So no worries on the bud. As it says in the FAQ, cut the stalk if it turns brown. If it is still green (alive), it might branch later or the next year.

That HD woman is an idiot. Or maybe she's just confusing 'airplants' like tillandsias, with epiphytes, but in either case, they do need water. Phals tend to grow upside down (leaves hanging downward) on large trunks or branches of trees. Therefore they are shaded from much of the really intense light. When it rains, the roots that are attached to the tree absorb a lot of water and then fairly quickly dry out due to exposure to the air/wind. Then it rains again....dries again...etc. Key point being....flood it with water...then let it sit for a week or so (somewhat depending on what media you're using in the pot). I think a great way to tell if a phal has been watered enough is the weight method. Feel how heavy the pot is and if it hasn't gained a lot of weight from the watering...keep watering. And when the pot becomes obviously lighter, it's time to water.

Strive to simulate the conditions and experiences (minus the bugs) the plant would get in the jungle, and you can't go wrong. Good light + good water + good air flow + decent humidity = happy orchid, in general.
-MB

Please read the FAQ's on this forum and do a search on this forum regarding Phals. You will get tons of information. You need to learn basic culture of whatever plant you grow. It's so important to learn the very basics of a plant before you can enjoy success. Also, there is a inexpensive book, 'Ortho's All About Orchids' which they sell in Home Depot or other big-box stores. It has lots of pictures with very simple information. It's a good investment.

Your light seems to be okay, but the plant needs to be watered whenever it feels dry. You can stop misting it. Does little good.

Jane

Thank you all so much! I have been reading the FAQ's and old threads all day and I'm learning quite a bit :)
I watered my orchid as soon as I got home, and I didn't get any water in the center of the leaves. I'll see how it does, if it doesn't seem to do well, I will move it closer to the window. Here is a picture of my orchid:
{{gwi:173271}}
Blooms without flash:
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Blooms with flash:
{{gwi:173273}}

Good for you for reading up on phals and light, Jessie. Your orchid will thank you with lots of flowers.

That's a beautiful phal, looks like Newberry Parfait to me. It will produce flowers for you for many years if you give it the proper care. As someone above mentioned, the most important thing in that care is the right amount of light.

I know you don't want to hear it, but your phal is not getting any high quality light from that fish tank lamp. First of all, light intensity is less at the ends of the fixture than in the middle. Then your orchid isn't under the light at all, but off to the side. Basically, it is in darkness.

Don't leave it there for more than a month. In my experience, even a month under such low light can severely compromise the roots, and it takes some skill and plenty of time to re-root it.

You need to acclimate it to more light in your south windows gradually-- start off a couple of feet from the window, and move gradually forward 6" closer to the window at a time.

If the sun shines directly on the leaves at any point, you need to feel the leaves after half an hour or so, to make sure they are not getting hot. The heat from sun is what damages the leaves, and the damage is irreversible.

If the leaves are cool or barely warm, it is okay where it is, and you can chance another move closer in a few days.

Phals can't take direct overhead sun, but in a house, that overhead sun is cut off by the ceilings. When slowly accustomed to more light over a period of time, I have found phals can take quite a bit of sun in a sunny window, especially with a fan running.

It's not really to find out how much they can "take", but that the amount and quality of growth and blooms are directly related to light. In good light, they grow wonderfully, and bloom their little heads off. In fact, all the specialist vendors say: "To initiate blooms, increase the light."

Good luck.

Thank you so much! I will start acclimating it closer to the window :) I have lots of places I can work with in the room, and I'm sure it will brighten up any corner :) I love this flower. I'm also tinkering with the idea of keeping it on my back porch for some of the year. It's a fully enclosed sun porch, facing east, with wrap-around windows and gets fairly warm in the summer, but with all the windows open there is a beautiful breeze. We're working on a bit of a container garden out there. But the windows face north, east and south, for all I know that's too much light. I will definitely have more research to do before I think about anything like that.
Thanks again! I hope I can keep it happy, I'm sure as hell going to try.

Prediction: you will succeed with that phal. Within three years your porch will be FULL of orchids. You will be trying to figure out how you can get rid of your Sharry Baby to make more room! lol
-MB

LOL yea I can see how these things can get addictive ;) Thanks again for all the help! I am going to move it about five feet away from, and to the side of the window today and I will move it closer every couple of days. Question: will it get enough light next to the window? Or should it be directly in front of it? Thanks :)

"Question: will it get enough light next to the window? Or should it be directly in front of it? Thanks :)"

Answer: No. Light travels in a straight line only. Directly in front may be too much light but off to one side will definitely be too little. So what to do? The experts recommend the direct placement, then the use of a single layer of sheer curtain to cut down the direct light. It is important however that you try to recalibrate your estimations of what is 'enough' light for orchids. Light is life to your plants and they need a lot more than many assume. Just by being indoors they are receiving 1/10th or less of what was available outdoors. If your mindset becomes "how can I give them more..." you will have better success because that is usually a harder task, indoors.

H