WC you might have caused the bud blast by lack of moisture. MOST bulbos need constant moisture and even in the winter with very little sun, the mounted ones get water every other day. The ones I have planted in baskets with CHC mix and sphag might go 4-5 days before they get watered again. Your temps are fine for bulbos. I have them spread all over the g/h according to their light requirements. The link you provided says that species grows in a wide range of elevations so should be able to grow in cool to warm conditions. I don't have a clue as to the brown tips unless it is on the oldest pbulbs getting ready to leave this world. I haven't found them prone to fungus and don't provide any additional air movement to them. I know you want a Hab. medusae but this medusae you can enjoy year round. Brooke

Great question, Orchidobsessed. Chryss, your shot of the Den Rainbow Dancer looks like an expensive portrait by a professional photographer. Calvin, whenever I see a spike, it's an involuntary inhalation, followed by a big "Oh" and a grateful smile. Here are more pix. I don't know the technical names for plant parts, but you can see where the spikes, buds, etc. come from. Aerangis fastuosa Coryanthes fieldingii Cycnoches Midnight Magic Dendrobium aberrans 1 - little dark spot is the spike. Dendrobium aberrans 2, spike from leafless pseudobulb  cuuuuute Dendrobium moniliforme Encyclia bracteata - 2 spikes w/ one bud each Gastrochilus japonicus - 2 spikes Lepanthes manabina - buds at the end of spikes on leaves Neofinetia falcata ÂShutennou ÂRed Emperor Ornithocephalus bicornis Paphiopedilum spicerianum  looks like a new leaf at first Phalaenopsis Snow Twinkle  can look like a new root at first Polystachya piersii blooming, so you can see where the spike comes from Polystachya piersii spike, side view Trigonidium egertonianum This is fun! Whitecat8

Kinda hard to tell without a picture, but it sounds like root rot. Judging by how quickly you're describing it going down hill, it probably had root rot from the start at the store. First off, I'd unpot it, and cut off any mushy, brown roots with a sterilized (with physan, or even dish soap) x-acto knife. That one leaf you're describing doesn't sound good - if it's mushy in the center, chances are it will spread throughout the rest of the leaf fairly soon. I'd cut the leaf off completely and dust the open cut with cinnamon (natural disinfectant). Another thing you might want to consider is to cut the spike off - especially if a few flowers have already fallen off. It'll keep well in a vase of water. I know it's painful to do, especially when it's so gorgeous, but by doing this, it will allow the plant to conserve it's energy and repair its root system. Phals like to have a change in temperature between day and night - usually day time in the mid 70s to low 80s, and in the evenings, 65 or so. An easy way to achieve this is to leave the plant outside in the summer, allowing it to warm up during the day and cool and night. Best of luck with your phal :)

Well, now you know why we "helpers" are always begging for more information about the plants we are talking about. Had I assumed that you lived on top of this big ball we call earth, I would have been talking to you about summer culture, and probably would have had you and the plant pretty confused by now. immature Cattleya type plants tend to grow fat squaty psudobulbs until they get close to blooming size, then the bulbs start standing up and growing in diameter. It appears that your plant tried to put up two erect pseudobulbs, but low light and possibly too much nitrogen in the fertilizer caused them to be too weak to "hold their heads up". More sunlight (but don't burn them) and a balanced fertilizer is what I recommend. And from my commercial growing days, it was always fertilizer at half the manufacturers recommended strength, half as often. Orchids are really light feeders, but they get a small amount of fertilizer in the wild at all times. And to be quite honest, I have no clue what the chemical analysis of "banana skin water" is. The sheath around the pseudobulb is there to give the growing bulb extra strength while it is soft and tender. As the bulb hardens up, the sheath dries up, and will peel away easily, or you can just leave it on. (I have never seen "little elves" running through the jungles peeling sheaths off plants, or dropping ice cubes around their roots.) {thats a local joke.} I would let it stay until it is thoroughly dry, then it will peel away quite easily. The flower sheath now, is another story. Flower sheaths on Cattleya type orchids come from the bud at the top of the pseudobulb where the folded leaf base attaches to the bulb. The bloom spike with buds pushes up through the center of this sheath. Depending on the genetic make-up of the plant, This sheath may stay green through the entire blooming process, or it may dry out before or after the plant blooms, and some plants don't develop sheaths at all, or maybe just some times. Best advise is don't mess with this sheath until blooming is complete. you can very easily damage the tiny bloom spike, and even tinier blooms inside this sheath. Another "Oh, by the way", most orchids--Cattleya and Phalaenopsis particularly, orient their flowers to the light source. Most amateur growers never give this a second thought, but those who show their orchid plants in competetions give this a great deal of thought and care. I feel that God made arrangements (roots) for orchid plants to be firmly attached to their host at all times, so there must be something to it. If your plant is developing blooms and you move it to water it or show it off, and you put it back on the shelf facing a different direction, the buds in a certain stage of development will orient to face the light this gives you a "less than ideal" presentation of the blooms. If this is important to you, mark the pot, and mark the bench, and replace the plant to the marks each time you move it. If this has no real meaning to you, forget you read what I just wrote. G'day, Mate. Bill