Congrats on your first orchid. I was 12 years old when I got my first plant (a cattleya). 40 plus year later, I'm still growing cattleyas. Orchids are infective. Phalies like most epiphytes grow in trees and extend aerial roots out. The green tips of the roots possess chlorophyll so they are photo-sensitive and sometimes grow toward a light source. However, it doesn't sound good if the roots outside the pot are dry and shriveled. Wait till the plant finishes blooming and repot in a fresh medium. When you buy these plants from the store, there's no telling how long the plant was sitting in the pot. A lot of phalies are potted in sphagnum. Nothing wrong with that, but in a plastic pot, it has the problem staying too wet for too long and the main roots might have become rotten from over-watering. While Phalies don't possess a water storage system like the pseudobulbs of cattleyas and the like, they don't like to be in standing water or soaking wet medium. They need to dry out between watering. Phalies in the wild grow in the humid jungles of Indonesia. There is regular rain, but there is also a good amount of breeze and airflow that allows the plant to dry out before the next shower. Also, the higher humidity helps the plant from being desiccated. The "little green horns" on the inflorescence maybe either another secondary flower spike or a "keiki" or the formation of a baby plant. Sometimes if the plant starts to break keikis over flower, the plant might be in distress. When a plant senses it is dying, it will do anything to preserve itself, either by flowering or making keikis. But you will not know that for a while. A good sign is that the plant is putting out a new leaf. Make sure that when you water, never leave standing water in the crown (the axil of the leaves). Standing water can lead to crown rot and this usually is fatal to the plant. Also, never have the plant sitting in a plant saucer filled with water. Again, this will keep the medium too wet and cause rot. Phalies (though they say tolerate shady conditions) do like a good amount of indirect light. The key to flowering most orchids is the quality of light. A north facing window won't do. A south facing window is the best. The leaves should always be a medium green. Very dark green leaves means the plant isn't getting enough light, and they become long, thin and flaccid. Too much light and the leaves could bleach out, turn yellow or burn. Phalies and Paphs don't need as much light as cattleyas that is true. You can put the flowering plant anywhere in the house to be enjoyed. But when you want it to start growing, put it in a sunny window. And if you live in areas where you can summer a plant outdoors under shade cloth or lath, (a tree sometimes can cast too much shade; depends on the tree) do that. Really, an orchid growing indoors is rather foreign to them. But that goes for all plants. Soon you will be hooked and adding more plants to your collection. You will want a greenhouse. It never ends. Trust me. Good luck and have fun!!

I'm not sure why the flowers have spots on them, usually this is caused by a fungus in conditions where the air isn't moving and it's is very humid. Or perhaps you are misting them when you water? In that case, try to avoid getting water on the flowers. The flowers may be wilting just because it's time for them to go, it sounds like you've had this plant for a while. I would also discourage the use of fertilizers while the plant is in bloom, some people believe this causes flowers to die earlier. As to the spot, this is most likely either a fungal or bacterial infection. Take a pair of clean scissors and cut the leaf at least 1/2 or 1 inch (depending on how fast it has been spreading) around the spot. Make sure you don't touch the scissors to the spot as this may transfer the infection. Usually spots like this are caused by conditions that are not optimal for the orchid. Some additional questions to help us with culture recommendations: How much sun is your plant getting? How humid is it where you are? What are the day and night temperatures? Please also refer to phal culture sheets by the Canadian Orchid Congress. These can help you fine tune your conditions so the orchid will bloom again for you soon. ~Jem

Thanks for the interest Be well, Elliot

I let each individual plant tell me. if its late season (Late Oct or early Nov for me) and the bottom leaves are yellowing then I should reduce watering to the level of maintaining a low amount of moisture in the soil. I run my finger through the top 1 or 2 inches of soil and if the soil is darker than the top crust and my finger gets dirty (more than just dusty) I'll wait a week to water. I could use a moisture meter to see the % but have always just used dead reckoning. If the tips and recent season green growth are feeling soft or wrinkled I will give that plant a little more this week and revisit in a week. I also watch for warm spells since it seems most of mine only partially hibernate and the greenhouse can go over 90 degrees if its not vented. I typically go into the greenhouse every week to police up dropped leaves and make sure things look good. I randomly squeeze branches, pull off any dead material such as shriveling up inflos, "claws" that didnt develop, and feel for softness and look for other danger items. For me it's only about a half hour of time to handle my collection (never counted and don't plan to but would say 30-50). IMO having a good soil mix and plants well supplied with nutrients over the growing season can help by being a little more forgiving one way or the other. Its really hard to use a sequence of care that isn't specific to your local variables. I hope this helps and you experiment and find the method that works best for your plant(s).