Hi,

I got a Phalaenopsis recently, couple of weeks ago. Was in very good condition when it arrived, in clear pot filled with bark.

Since then, it's lost a couple of buds and it's leaves have started to go yellow and drop off, has lost two leaves and one of the remaining leaves is very yellow. and another one has started to go yellow along one edge.

I might have overwatered it to start with didn't realise quite how dry it should be. Also not as much light as recommended here. Also it fell in a bath full of water by accident - was in the water only for a few seconds, dried it out with a towel, and one of the flower stems almost broke (bent over) in the fall - but I straightened it up and fastened it back on again and it's looking fine.

The main thing is it's quite cold here for a Phalaenopsis. Day time temperature is 10 - 15C most days (50 - 60F), night time 5-10C, (40 -50F) that's outside temperatures but as I don't find it cold at all myself, I never have any heating on until it goes well below 5C and leave windows open also this time of year, so temperature inside the house is similar to the outside.

Didn't realise when I got it that it's minimum recommended temperature is as high as 10C.

So anyway is it dropping leaves and buds because of the cold or for some other reason? Also does it look as if it will recover with right treatment?

It's a new house, just moved in, I will probably eventually get a greenhouse or the like but don't have one yet. Or might get or build some kind of a mini greenhouse and keep it indoors in an indoors greenhouse.

One idea I had was to get a greenhouse heater, set it to say 10C (50F) and put it in the bathroom, and keep the orchid there whenever the temperature is too low.

Meanwhile as on most days I get too much hot water for my own use from the solar panels I've taken to half filling the bath with hot water at night and putting the orchid on the window shelf above the bath to give it a bit of extra warmth and moisture.

Photos of it:

The whole plant

Name: moth orchid 2.jpg<br />Views: 73<br />Size: 89.2 KB

Close up of the yellow leaf:
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Roots
Name: moth orchid roots.jpg<br />Views: 46<br />Size: 74.2 KB

Name: moth orchid roots 2.jpg<br />Views: 47<br />Size: 81.8 KB

Thanks for your help.