Hi All! I am a new orchid Mom and have a question about a distressed phal that I recently inherited. When the flowers fell, I cut the spikes and repotted it with Monterey Dark Imperial orchid mix. It had a good root system which I basically left alone, but the leaves were all split and looked sunburned. After repotting, I noticed the small bottom leaves were yellow and a bit mushy. One has dried up. Could be an infection or rot? Sending you a few pics and hoping for some guidance on next steps. Thanks in advance! Best, Stacey

The plant and roots look healthy and the potting mix also appears to be good. It is normal for some older lower leaves to die back particularly after bloom or following repotting. There is no evidence of any disease. You can safely cut off the lower leaves that are discolored.

Thanks, Will. I will!

I see no evidence of the plant being sunburned. What I see is a plant that I feel is being overwatered. You should have repotted it into the clay pot instead of leaving it in the clear plastic pot.
When you water an orchid and it is inside of a pot and then in another pot, it too often leads to the roots and media not being allowed to dry out properly between waterings. As a consequence the roots towards the center of the pot, and those down deep in the mix are not drying enough. If that continues to happen, you accelerate leaf loss, particularly the lower leaves go first. Those roots rot in the media and " root rot" often develops leading to the death of the orchid.
This double potting issue is something I see often with beginning orchid growers and I see it most often with Oncidiums and Phalaenopsis. My best advice is to grow it either in a clay OR a plastic pot, NOT both!

Thanks, Bill. I'm adding an image which shows why I thought the plant (which I received a week ago) was sunburned. In terms of watering, my sister was giving it 2-3 ice cubes a week, so I saw what looked like burns on some of the roots and also noted that the leaves are split. Thanks for your advice about containers. When I water, I submerge the plant for 10 minutes and then leave it out in its plastic pot the first day to let it dry a bit before returning it to its decorative container. I think that based on what you said, it should help.

Certainly. Your are welcome.
Check the sticky please with regard to wateringbwith ice cubes in the orchid forums. Quite informative.