Soft wrinkled lower leaves on phals

[addictedcountryman]

Hmmm how often do you water your phal? Mine are also indoors and I live in Arizona (its as dry as a bone) and it gets 110 (right now, thats why I'm online all day). I soak mine for 30 minutes once a week and it seems to be fine. How do you tell if you need to water? I'm not trying to insult you, but I have a feeling that you may be overwatering even though it seems as if the phal is dry. I typically stick my finger in the media to see if it's damp. If its just the top thats dry, I mist. Phals are very cunning at hiding their rot for a while (you know, when you see a beautiful phal with blossoms and all at a grocery store and when you unpack it at home, it is stuffed with rotten sphagnum moss and 3/4ths of the roots need to be removed?)

[louez]

I water every few days and have been rather conservative. I worry I will overwater them. But I just started giving them a soak this week. This one was due for a soak. I don't water or feed unless I've put my finger into the bark to see how dry it is. I am guessing dry is the problem here because the pot, the medium and the moss are all dry.

[nutgirl]

I have a large phal (2 crowns) that bloomed this spring but has been going downhill ever since. Sulking then the leaves started getting soft and floppety (orchid term? haha). I unpotted, roots not good. Cleaned it up, put it in a clear pot (good old rubbermaid) so I can see what's going on, and put in a warmer environment. Wow! New leaves, root tips are going to town and roots are growing roots. The floppety leaves are shriveling and turning yellow but the new leaf and the next one are thriving. I'm hoping for the best. So don't give up.

maureen