This conversations page is not the place to ask orchid culture questions. Much more activity over on the discussions page including many discussions about problems with Phalaenopsis.

Hi Ohiofem, I was wondering, since you have been growing clivia for some time now what you would recommend as a very good or possibly the best yellow. I'm interested in saturated color of course, but don't want an overly huge plant. And of course the wider the leaves the better..and of course.. a nice good size flower head..(I don't want much do I.) I see that there are San Marcos yellows availible here and there as full grown plants and then there is Arturo's yellow, and I'm going to google Solomone yellow right now.. I'm sure there are many gorgeous yellows, but one that I might be able to find to purchase in the not too distant future.. I hesitate to buy a full grown plant as I promised my husband these wouldn't get very big (he believed me;-)) so if I start out small as with the seedlings I can sort of edge myself into this without making too much of a splash..if you know what I mean.. I appreciate your advice and anyone else who might have any thoughts or comments would be appreciated too.. Thanks in advance, Donna

I'm interested to hear responses as I easily have over a hundred buds on my 3-yr old hibiscus and all of a sudden same thing is happening. My neighbors is too.

You should pull your plant out of it's pot now and check the roots to see if you still have any live ones. Usually by the time you see the leaves dying most of the roots are already gone. The dead ones will be pretty obvious because they'll be mushy and black. Live roots should be white or silvery and have the consistency of styrofoam. They will also often have a green growing tip. Remove any dead roots and the dead leaves and repot your orchid in fresh bark chips. Stop watering so often. You should be feeding every time you water, about every three-four weeks. It's best to use a liquid orchid food at half the recommended strength, but if you already have Miracle Grow you can use that. In between watering, mist your plant lightly every few days or so. I use a quart bottle with one drop of liquid Miracle Grow in it to mist mine. Be sure to mist the leaves as well as the root zone and any air roots. After misting place your orchid in an area where the moving air can dry off the leaves fairly quickly, like near a slow-moving fan. When you water your orchid make up a bowl or pot of warm water with the plant food in it. Put your orchid roots into the water and let them soak for about 15 minutes and then lift it out and let it drain completely. Since you only have MG plant food, you can use the runoff from your orchid to water your other house plants. Don't feel too bad if you lose your orchid, overwatering is the most common mistake folks make. I've killed a few orchids over the years myself. Fortunately they are easy to come by and not too expensive. They are definiely worth any extra effort it takes to grow them because the blooms are so beautiful. And if your plant pulls through, you will have next year to look forward to more blooms. Cheryl