Have you checked the mix and whether it is sitting in water? Looks like the roots are probably dying. The mix might be too wet.

Jane

Yes, unfortunately sometimes the roots look just fine. They do come in spaghnum moss and they are wet and stay wet a long time which is of course not the best but easier to deal with in live arrangements. However, I don’t think this is always the cause of the dying right now. It must be some kind of fungal disease? I was thinking crown rot at first but not sure that is it either, especially in ones like the one in the picture, in which the leaves are rottting while still green.

the leaves are dying because the roots are beginning to rot. even when you can see green healthy roots near the clear pot wall the middle of the pot if wet can develop rot very easily. in my experience growing them indoors when they are in pure sphag they will be ok if kept in part-sun near the window . but when i put them for display in the middle of the room (still very bright with corner window-wall top to bottom) they invariably decline during the flowering. i tried watering only once in 10 days with may be 1/4 cup of water, but the roots rot anyway. i think pure sphag is very bad when there is not enough high-light and temps are moderate like 70F.

they heat up in my west window close to 80-85F and then they are fine and growing well.

but then i cannot enjoy the blooms!

Thanks, I am wondering if they are sitting too long in poor growing conditions before they ever reach us. I have dealt with overwatered orchids at work before but not ones that keep dying repeatedly so soon after arrival. Your situation with your orchids sounds frustrating as well.

The odds are that the grower is moving them out of ideal growing conditions into a pretty pot to make an arrangement. I can almost guarantee this plant was not growing this way before it was potted as a display.

It happens alot. You are better off growing your own orchids in the conditions they will live in.

I grew Phals in my home in bright light. I had a few that were used for display because they made huge, multiple, long spikes full of flowers. Those were carefully tended to make a lovely display.

When they were ready to be displayed, the pot they grew in went into a decorative pot, put a little dry sphag on top and placed them in my living room. The biggest one went on top of a large, black, grand piano. The Phal had huge, white flowers. There was no big difference from where it was originally growing, same light, same temperatures. That big, white Phal bloomed for six months. It was spectacular!

I swear my Phal helped sell our house when we moved! It was spectacular and the buyer of the house wanted it.

These orchids bought for display from growers, rarely do well. They are dealing with light changes, temp changes and their roots have been disturbed by being moved into decorative pots.

All of these things are not good and produce what you are seeing.

Jane