Shriveled leaves on Phal. schilleriana cross

[petdocchild]

After about a week of my mother's care, this pair of phals went from vibrantly healthy to completely dehydrated. It's clear she didn't water enough, and humidity was low, but I've never seen an orchid dry out to this extent so fast. Could something else be going on? What else can I do to rescue these babies? I've been soaking them for the past couple of hours since I discovered it.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

[estación seca]

If the roots are good, they don't look that bad, and they should recover fine. Go easy on Mom. Who else would take care of your orchids while you are away?

I see you have them in the original sphagnum moss. Many people use sphagnum moss for Phals, but it can be tricky to use for other people. Another explanation for your orchids' appearance is they may have been too wet, and the roots are dead. It might have been a coincidence that the plant began showing signs of trouble while you were away.

I would unpot the plants, remove all the moss and look at the roots. If the roots are good, and you want to continue to use the sphagnum, repot them. If you decide to use something else for potting medium repot.

If the roots are brown and mushy, dead, cut them off, and reroot the plant. There are instructions

here.

[petdocchild]

They're actually my mom's (until they finish blooming). She bought them several days ago just for the flowers with the idea that she'd give them to me to grow after the blooms fell off. I don't want to repot immediately since they're in flower. If they were mine,
I'd chop the spikes off, but she doesn't want that.

[estación seca]

Phals don't turn a hair if you repot them in bloom. Do it. Don't cut the spikes unless the roots are dead. If the roots are dead, you have the choice: Keep flowers and lose plant, or; Cut flowers and probably save plant.

[Paphluvr]

Given the size of the plant, I'm not seeing a lot of healthy roots. There are very few hanging out of the pot and the close-ups of the ones in the pot don't look real promising. I would try to talk your Mom into letting you remove the spikes to conserve energy and repotting the plant. I have a feeling that the lack of a good root system is why it looks underwatered.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Oh spotted leaves, I see a new green root poking it's head out. I wonder if the flowers would last as long if you cut them and put them in a vase for her to enjoy and then you could have the plant.

[silken]

I would be worried about lack of drainage after being soaked in moss for a few hours in the current conditions. Phals need to nearly dry out and get air to the roots too. I suspect it has poor roots and that is why its declining.

[Bunch_Of_Roots]

In my experience, if a phal has a healthy root system and it looks dehydrated from under-watering, it could take up to a day or two for the leaves to plump up again after watering. So keep an eye out to see if that is the case.

If after a couple of days and the leaves look the same, that could point to a declining root system. Then I would suggest repotting the plant into a new bark/sphag mix. After repotting keep it in a warm, humid, and shady place until roots start to come out. It could take a couple of months for the plant to rebound.

[petdocchild]

I separated and repotted them. The roots of one were not great but okay, but the other one's were pretty sad, though I've seen worse on plants that still managed to have plump leaves. There are some nice emerging roots on the healthier one, so I'm certain that one will pull through. Thanks for all the advice!
http://i.imgur.com/siO0Zyr.jpg