Phal’s leaves are wilting..

[Gypsy_soul]

Hey!
Hopefully I’m in the correct spot to be posting.. new to forums. In some desperate help with my Phal I’ve had for 3-4 years. It’s leaves are becoming slightly leathery and wilting (only has 3 to begin with, two are still trying to grow completely out. As you can see in the pics.) It has plenty of water, also! Every 7 days my orchids are watered, so dehydration (I don’t think) is the main issue here.

I’ve tried a LOT over the years and it’s been a trooper, but I’ve come to the extent of my knowledge with orchids at this point, and obviously now need some more help. I’m sure you’ll have some pointers. Thanks a bunch, I truly appreciate your time. I love this orchid so much and would be so happy to save it again ❤️ Thank you!

[Roberta]

How often are you watering it? That very large bark will dry out fast, which is a good thing if water is adequate. The plant looks dehydrated. In that large bark, you could pour water through the pot every other day or even every day and not overwater it. If you are watering less than that, you should either use smaller bark or water more often. Phalaenopsis really want moist air more than "water" - in very retentive media such as sphagnum, it is easy to keep it too wet (which rots roots) because the water crowds out the air. But in big bark, that moist air comes naturally whenever you water. Water pouring through the pot pulls more air into the root zone, which is the goal.

[Gypsy_soul]

Roberta, thank you so very much!!
I feel incredibly stupid for not realizing this.
Yes, I water just about every 7 days. I started noticing this one declining so I started every 5 days instead.
I really dislike shpangnum for the reason you
just stated. A friend advised me to use sphagnum moss
on the top of the roots for moisture. So only a thin
layer... I would spray the moss down, but I noticed today
the roots at the base were turning a light brown, and
I believe that’s an overwatering sign? Anyway!!
I immediately took off the moss after seeing that.
I’ll be watering her every day to every other day now.
A million thank yous!!!!! ❤️ I appreciate you!

[Roberta]

There are lots of "right answers" ... sphagnum has its place, but it's tricky. Works great for the commercial growers with their carefully controlled environments. For us hobbyists, not so much, too many things that are easy to get wrong. In the big bark, the Phal is growing almost like a mounted plant - in nature, they have nothing around their roots at all, but they also get rained on pretty much every day, and the humidity is very high. So we sort of create the part of the environment that they are looking for. Increasing the watering frequency should do what you need to happen. The limp leaves may or may not stiffen up, but new leaves will be fine.

[estación seca]

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From the left yellow menu choose Forums then Beginners. Near the top look for a sticky thread, The Phal abuse ends here.