Mini phal seems to slowly wilt despite my attempts to save it - Orchid Board

delilahshines · #1 07-08-2012, 04:47 PM

Hi all,

I am abusing a mini phal, and I need help! I looked through the phal sticky but couldn't seem to find this exact problem.

I received a mini phal as a gift a month and a half ago. Unfortunately, as soon as I got it, I left on a trip. I looked up basic orchid care instructions and left them with my roommates. I don't know to what extent they followed them, but they had definitely stopped by the time I got home. The orchid was on the windowsill in the hot direct sun sun and had not been watered for quite some time.

I repotted it in bark, cut back the flowers using sanitized scissors, trimmed obvious dead roots, watered it, and moved it into my room in bright indirect sun. But it seems like it's getting worse, not better.

I live in NYC. It's been very hot (90's recently.) I've tried to run my A/C as little as possible, using the fan instead to keep things cool, but my roommates turn it on when I'm gone, and sometimes I need it to sleep. I water it twice a week, when it feels completely dry. I've been misting it, but I recently tried switching to having a tray of water under it (suspending the pot above it on a layer of shells so that it doesn't touch the water).

I tried putting a plastic bag over it but a leaf crinkled and yellowed so I took the bag off.

The orchid was given to me by a dear friend and I want desperately to save it. Any advice is much appreciated!!

The attached photos are a picture I just took (the one with the yellowed leaf), one from a few days ago, and the state it was in when I got back from my trip.