Phal with sudden wrinkled leaves and shriveled roots

[praguequest]

Originally Posted by aliceinwl

I water most of my Phals by soaking. I often end up soaking for an hour if not longer. They’ve been fine with this for years.

My hunch would be that it’s the direct sun exposure. I put some of my Phals in a south facing window over the summer that was shaded by the eves so the sill didn’t get direct light, when the light shifted in the fall, the sill started getting direct light, the same thing happened to the leaves on my Phals. I moved them a bit further back from the window where the light wasn’t as intense and the leaves slowly recovered.

For mine, high light = lots of flowers. I think the shriveling on mine was due to the sun heating up the leaves. They were very warm to the touch when I realized there was a problem. If you want to keep it in the bright window, you could try a sheer curtain to limit light intensity, move it a bit further back, or get a fan and see if more air circulation keeps the leaves from overheating. I think your Phal looks very healthy.

Thanks Alice! Yeah, I will wait to see if the leaves recover nd continue weekly waterings...or just when dry. I placed it back in the original spot next to the door, and it gets some quick direct light from a far window in the morning (see photos). Temp in sun is about 80F...I'll look into getting a diffuser.