Help save my Phal - dropped all but one leaf, shrunken roots, mould

[cherrytree]

***Update 12/05/25***

Many many thanks for everyone's advice and encouragement! 5 days ago I covered most of the roots with the potting mix as per kind advice here, but today when I checked, it had a bit of white mould again and I sniffed it and it did smell a bit mouldy/damp as well. The surface was dry but I dug around to expose the roots again as I was worried they might be dead/dying and moulding, and I would like to ask advice if some are indeed dead and if I should cut them off.

Please see the picture attached called 'poss dead roots', are roots marked 1-5 in red dead roots? 1-3 in green seem to be more healthy roots but one is barely attached to the stem.

It's not as clear on photo as in person but they just look soggy yet shrivelled and limp and not a healthy green colour. Other photos attached as well with 'update' in the name.

Would it do better in a smaller pot?

I haven't watered it for a few days but the mix is still damp, so I think maybe there is not enough airflow and thinking about where else I can put the plant.

Thank you!



Original post:

Hi, I have been reading through some posts and have seen some helpful advice but wanted to check with kind experts here what I should do to save my poor Phal. For context, I have not been looking after it properly for quite a long time due to poor mental health. I would really like to save it and feel sorry for it, it was a present to me from a friend. Please see photos attached of what it looks like now. Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you!

Previously (a few years ago) it was starting to get root rot and I got rid of the potting medium and let it sit in a transparent orchid pot with holes on the sides with the roots naked but I'm afraid I didn't water it enough.

Recently in the last few weeks the leaves started going yellow and dropping off one by one, until now there is just one sad leaf left. Most of the roots except 3 are shrivelled up and I don't know if they are dead or not. There is one root you can see from the photos that’s kind of hanging from a dark thread in the middle of it but the root itself is mostly detached, is this normal?

I had a go at repotting it yesterday and saw that there was white fluffy looking mould on the bottom part and on some of the roots, so I cut the bottom off and some of the roots. I filled a new pot with new potting mix and also diluted a few drops of orchid feed in filtered tap water and poured it into the pot, and poured more filtered water to drench the medium. I left it soaking overnight and had a look again this morning, but found the fuzzy white mould growing on the dead leaf sheaths so I got worried and took out all the potting mix (which was still damp) and as per a comment I saw on this forum, I cut away as much of the dead leaf sheaths on the plant as I could to avoid more mould growth.

I also saw that there was some black parts on the bottom middle of the plant, I don’t know if it is mould or not but it was not there when I repotted it and it’s not from the potting mix. The shrunken roots did not change shape with the soaking even though they all looked green.

I repotted it again but this time just sprinkled a layer of mix on the bottom of the pot and let the plant sit on top so that I could see all the roots, and let some of the roots touch the mix or be slightly covered. I bought a small spray bottle to mist the top roots with water in the mornings, I did see some people say not to do that to avoid mould on the crown but is it ok to keep doing this to give it some more moisture?

It is sitting in the kitchen and not in direct sunlight but gets a decent amount of light from the windows, and humidity is roughly 50-55% from the dehumidifier in the corridor leading to kitchen, not sure about the kitchen itself. The temperature is quite mild (based in London, UK), it was really warm last week and I suspect it got even more dehydrated than normal.

I hope this is enough info but let me know if you have questions and thanks for any help!

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board.

With decent care it should recover, and flower again in 2-3 years. Phals. tolerate a lot of abuse.

The most important things for growing Phals. are warm temperatures - the warmer the better - full shade, plenty of air at the roots and plenty of water.

Rather than write a lot, I strongly recommend you read the first few pages of a thread here devoted to learning to grow Phals. From the left yellow menu choose Forums then Beginners. Near the top find sticky thread The Phal. abuse stops here.

[cherrytree]

Thank you very much, I will have a look at that thread

[Dimples]

Whatever potting medium you choose to use, make sure you get all of those roots underneath the surface, inside the pot. This plant is a case where you should ignore any advice about “keeping air roots out of the pot”. And like ES said, keep them warm. 80F/27C is a good target.

[cherrytree]

Thank you for the advice! I was just a bit worried about not being able to see if the roots had mould or not, but I will try to keep them under the surface. Hopefully it will be easier to keep warm with summer coming up!

[aihpcfl]

I can only add words of encouragement. I brought a Phal back to life, so I know it can be done. And it is often mentioned on these forums that orchids do what they do very slowly. Keep that in mind. Give the plant what it likes and it will do what it does, slowly.

[FranningtonBear]

welcome

Originally Posted by cherrytree

Thank you for the advice! I was just a bit worried about not being able to see if the roots had mould or not, but I will try to keep them under the surface. Hopefully it will be easier to keep warm with summer coming up!

What you're aiming for is humid air around the roots, keeping the medium moist without packing it too tightly is the way to achieve this - if you can manage that you're unlikely to suffer from mould issues.
Regarding temperatures, I find my phals grow well on west or east facing windowsills in my "normal temp" UK home. I'm based in Cheltenham so similar latitude to you.

[Mountaineer370]

Welcome to the Orchid Board! In your photos, I'm seeing at least eight plump, healthy roots, but I agree with Dimples that you should fill that pot up so that all of them are down in the the potting medium.

From the photos, I cannot tell what your potting medium is, but it looks a bit densely packed and very moist. (Maybe you just watered.) You want to make sure you have good air circulation down in the pot, and the type of pot you are using is great for this, but not if the media is staying too wet.

It's definitely concerning that all the leaves but one have turned yellow and fallen off, and I cannot explain that without knowing a lot more. But I agree that this Phal. appears to be salvageable with proper care and culture. It will take time, though.

[cherrytree]

Thanks all, I have posted an update in my original post with new pics. Wondering about the poor roots...

Originally Posted by aihpcfl

I can only add words of encouragement. I brought a Phal back to life, so I know it can be done. And it is often mentioned on these forums that orchids do what they do very slowly. Keep that in mind. Give the plant what it likes and it will do what it does, slowly.

Thank you for the encouragement and reminder to be patient!

Originally Posted by FranningtonBear

welcome

What you're aiming for is humid air around the roots, keeping the medium moist without packing it too tightly is the way to achieve this - if you can manage that you're unlikely to suffer from mould issues.
Regarding temperatures, I find my phals grow well on west or east facing windowsills in my "normal temp" UK home. I'm based in Cheltenham so similar latitude to you.

Thank you for the suggestions!

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

Welcome to the Orchid Board! In your photos, I'm seeing at least eight plump, healthy roots, but I agree with Dimples that you should fill that pot up so that all of them are down in the the potting medium.

From the photos, I cannot tell what your potting medium is, but it looks a bit densely packed and very moist. (Maybe you just watered.) You want to make sure you have good air circulation down in the pot, and the type of pot you are using is great for this, but not if the media is staying too wet.

It's definitely concerning that all the leaves but one have turned yellow and fallen off, and I cannot explain that without knowing a lot more. But I agree that this Phal. appears to be salvageable with proper care and culture. It will take time, though.

Thank you! I don't think I packed the medium in, I just poured it out of the bag but wondering now if the pot is a bit too big if it's holding too much moisture.

[Mountaineer370]

Per your update and new photos, I do not see any roots that look dead to me. Definitely nothing I would cut! The one you refer to that seems broken and barely attached up close to the plant looks like it had the velamin crack at one point, but if it is still attached, that "string" will continue to provide water to the plant.

Do you have any photos that show the white mould you refer to?

As far as whether the pot is too large, it's really hard to tell from your photos. Maybe a photo from more of a distance and something showing us the entire pot with plant from the side, too.

Also, if I may, when you respond, please do it at the end of the thread so that those reading can follow along in chronological order. By "updating" your very first post, it's confusing and some people may not realize they need to go all the way back to the top to see your newest post. Thanks!