Yellow leaf spot, withered dropping buds, withering flowers...
 

This is my second orchid, and I am trying to keep it alive the best I can. Many of its buds have bloomed since I got it, but many have also begun to wither and die, and some buds are withering and falling off before even maturing. Also, a yellow spot has formed on one of the leaves, and has gotten bigger with concentric rings. The spot has stopped growing, but now a lower leaf has the beginnings of a yellow spot as well.

How can I stop/prevent these problems? Also, what are the most important things to do for my plant to thrive? At the moment, it is still in the plastic container it came in, and seems to have mainly some foam peanuts and a little moss for substrate. It is sitting on a dish of large gravel with water. Also, I am wondering if I am giving it enough light. My window does not get much more than weak indirect light, so I have two compact-fluorescent bulbs on it; a "100" watt and a "150" watt (real wattage is less, thats their equivalent in an incandescent bulb). Everything happens so slowly with this plant, it is hard to tell what is hurting it and what is helping...

I have been watering it lightly whenever it gets really dry, and just got some Miracle Gro acid orchid/plant food. Will the food help prevent the problems I am getting?

Pics:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i.../orchid007.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i.../orchid009.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i.../orchid004.jpg
First bloom on the second, newer spike/branch/thing, best one yet, but the top is a little mangled

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i.../orchid001.jpg
The other blooms, less than half of what used to be there. They are all getting limp and withery. All the blooms behind them have died, and the two buds immediately following them have dropped off.

current setup:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i.../orchid005.jpg

So what do you all think?

Ok, I just got back from the grocery store, and couldnt keep myself from picking out their best looking orchid. I probably paid way too much (~$18), but this one looked pretty nice. Opinions?

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...orchid2010.jpg

Hi TVradio and :welcome: to the orchid board! I have no idea what the yellow leaf spots could be--I never experienced anything like that; so I hope someone with more orchid experience will pipe in. Are the leaves soft, dried, or different texture from the healthy leaves :scratchhead: My chids are in a south west window, but there are trees and an overhang on my house so they never get direct sun; I have artificial lights on them in the winter and they go outside in the summer (still no direct sun). I would check the roots to make sure they are not rotting; I personally never had good luck with sphag, so I would probably repot in bark medium. I like plastic pots with drainage slots on the side as well as on the bottom. You can use Listerine to clean the roots and put a paste of cinnamon on any surfaces you might have had to cut. There is a lot of good info on OB for using Listerine and cinnamon--you can do a search to get the info. I also like to use KLN, a rooting stimilant, on my newly potted phals. Make sure the pots are well drained and if they are sitting in a decorative pot there is plenty of space between the chid's pot and the decorative pot. I think your new phal might have a problem with this. It looks like it is planted in moss with very little drainage or air circulation if any. The aireal root doesn't look too happy, but otherwise it looks like a beautiful phal--I love the color! :goodluck:

Is there anyway that could be a light burn? It looks to "perfect" to be from nature. Your new one is very pretty, is it a peloric?
Joann

I was thinking it might be some sort of fungal infection, from the way it is spreading in perfect rings. But, I have no clue how to treat it.

And what do healthy roots look like? I know the aerial one on the new phal I posted is pretty dead, but I cannot tell easily how the roots in the others are. I am a little scared of taking it out of the pot; I dont want to break the roots or mess up the foliage or flowers!

The leaves on the first one posted seem fairly healthy besides the spots. Are the black indented spots on the new phal I got anything to be worried about?

You might try a fungicide, see if it works.
Healthy roots are either green or silvery/white. If the roots are green, don't water, they're full. If the roots are silvery/white, water, they're thirsty. The only way to check roots is to take the plant out of the pot, unless you have a clear plastic pot that you can see through.
I can see indented areas on your new phal, but they did not show up as black (on my moniter). I'd treat them with a fungicide too.
Joann

What should I look for in a fungicide for orchids? My local hardware store doesnt seem to have a large selection, and I do not see anything specifically for orchids. And is it really a fungal problem?