Petals wilting/drooping - phal orchid

[Emcguire123]

Hi - I am new here and new to orchids. I received an orchid as a gift (I think it is a phal orchid) and I notice that the leaves are now wilting/drooping. I have been watering it very, very little and now realize (after reading posts on this board) that I need to give it some more water. Tonight I ran the water over the roots for a minute, much more than before.

Also, I think it may need to be repotted so I ordered some orchid repotting mix which should arrive in a few days.

I attached pictures below.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Pelepel]

and Welcome to OB!

I just rescued a mini phal in the exact same potting situation from a Big Box. I noticed rot starting to set in because those things are potted in something that gives them no air circulation, and the quality of that moss isn't the best. You did the right thing with ordering new medium and watering more as phals like it more on the moist side (be careful not to over water, however).

Be sure to cut back any rotting or dead roots (there are videos that can show you how) when you repot and try to get as much moss off as you can. Rinse the roots off and if you see any fungus spray with some physan 20. You might lose the spike, so make sure to cut that back too. That will signal to the plant to focus on putting its energy to roots and new growth. The plant may be weak, and it may be best for it.

There could be other factors too such as water quality, humidity, lighting, pests, etc! Overall the phal looks pretty good. Keep in mind that spike might also be old, but my feeling is lack of agua fria.

[Zoi2]

Hello and welcome to the OB.
This thread will help with all of your phal questions. It is long but well worth the read. Good luck with your new orchid.
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html
Joann

[Emcguire123]

Thanks so much for your replies. I have taken off the tight plastic binding and gently removed the moss. I replaced it in the ceramic pot and will repot with the orchid mixture when it arrives. I think I will also need to cut back the roots because some of them did not look very good.

Hopefully the petals will perk up!

Thank you for the referral to the phal thread - I have gotten through the first 10 pages and plan to finish tomorrow

The orchid was a gift to my 8 year old son and he LOVES it so I will try to give this a go!

Thanks!