Please help, new to Orchids!

Hi, that usually happens with orchids from supermarkets etc. These orchids are grown in greenhouses with good humidity level which isn't available anymore once they sit on the shelves.
What you see is mostly dried roots and now are gone, if you can provide us with pictures of the inside plastic pot (or you can also check yourself) to see if there are green roots and tips inside the pot. That is most likely and it means that the plant is doing ok. The roots if not recently watered can be grey too.
I would suggest you to repot it in orchid bark once there are no flowers and then cut off the dried roots but with no rush as long as you see healthy roots in the pot.
If that's the spot you leave the plant I also would move it closer to a window with more light.

Welcome to the forum!

 

Hi, Helen.

A little background: Phalaenopsis are epiphytes that grow clinging to trees in the wild. Such plants have evolved to doing much of their respiratory gas exchange through their roots, unlike terrestrial plants that do most of that through leaves. Because of that, the number one “trick” to growing most orchids is managing the supply of both air and water to the root system.

Many grocery-, or hardware store-bought plants are potted in densely packed sphagnum moss, which can present a challenge to doing so, hence LepanthesSalad’s recommendation to repot into bark.

If you can find a way to keep the potting medium evenly moist while remaining airy, you’ll be well on your way to great success.

If you have an interest in delving into this further, firstrays.com is a collection of over 250 articles that explain the “why” behind the “what you should do” advice spread all over the internet.

 

Great explanation, Ray!

It can sit both near a window and on a window ledge, just it doesn't like direct sun.

Your plant looks really healthy. As you can see the roots are there and it is potted in bark, you can see that is now hydrated from the green roots inside the pot. When you see they start to become grey/silver then you can water it again (usually once per week but it depends how much water you give each time), don't leave it soaked in water for too long though. Don't leave water inside the crown (top part, between the leaves)

You can cut the air roots which are not alive anymore if you are bothered form the look but it is not necessary, however after some time (every year or two) it is good to give the roots a clean by cutting the old dried ones so nothing brakes down and repot the plant in new bark.
If you cut the green side don't worry because the plant isn't going to die, those are hardy orchids.

Nursery's have different species and usually give more quality, but this plant looks really good anyway!

 

No worries, it’s always a pleasure to help!

Depending from your conditions it might be good to water it every two weeks. If you live in a really dry weather then probably is too little. Don’t worry though because you can experiment what’s best for you and your environment. As I mentioned before orchids (especially hybrid Phalaenopsis like yours) are hard to totally kill.
I have two that are now starting to take off since more than 6 months without roots. When I purchased them the media was a sponge like material and it was too watered from the market (not a nursery), they lived with no roots because I had to cut off the stem and roots for rot issue.
Markets and supermarkets have the “sells the most you can” approach so sometimes (like my two orchids but not yours) you have 3 flower spikes and only 4 roots in total.

It’s a nice hobby to have orchids especially since you can select what you like and there are a lot of easy orchids to care, here in this forum you can find a lot of helpful people who can suggest you good starting orchids species for home conditions.

 

For ice cubes you mean the quantity of water or actually ice?
Yes usually when plants are with price reduction nobody has water it since probably a week at least.

Sure, you can always ask here and someone will help you.

I have the Dendrobium you mentioned and I find it to be really easy to care and rewarding. Mine during summer gets also direct sun and it didn't mind at all, actually it flowered two times this year with multiple keikis so I can definitely suggest it as a plant.
Plus the fragrance is sweet and really nice!
It also depends from your conditions, apparently it likes a drier winter and I water it less than my Phalaenopsis. The summer here isn't too hot and during winter it gets quite cold, it grows in a window ledge. As all the orchids it likes the temperature drop day/night

 

It’s generally recommended to use liquid water rather than ice. (The ice cube thing is some gimmick from orchid companies to sell more orchids.. I guess). This is for several reasons. The first (and most obvious) is that ice is cold, most orchids that are grown indoors are tropical plants so the cold water can damage their roots and stems. The second is that an ice cube contains less water than you might think, this can lead to dehydration and in extreme cases, even pest issues. As for water, depending on your conditions enough lukewarm water to start coming out of the holes In the bottom once a week/when The media is mostly dry should work.

 

I think it can even be dangerous due to freezing…
I would not complicate anything honestly. If you have good tap water I would just take a glass a pour it without any measure like I do. Just cool water from the tap (or rain water if you can) and as The Tomato mentioned once a week.
If you see too much water just pour it out the pot maybe leaving it for 5-10 minutes. Nothing is going to happen to the plant anyway unless you leave it in water for like two days.
You have bark so it dry quite fast and it has good air flow.

For the Dendrobium same thing, but I would water every two weeks. Sometimes I forgot to water it for almost a month and it didn’t mind at all.

Keep us posted when you get the Dendrobium

 

That "just add ice" think is certainly a marketing gimmick, but there is some logic to it - excepting the freezing temperature.

Most large-scale phalaenopsis growers use densely-packed sphagnum moss, and in their environment and short hold time, it's fine. In the home, however, it may hold water too long and the air flow I mentioned earlier can be easily filled with water - especially if drenched from the top - suffocating the roots.

If, on the other hand, that water is barely trickled into the medium, it tends to wick evenly via the fiber strands, leaving the inter-strand void spaces open. A slowly-melting ice cube does just that.