broken leaf on basal keiki... will it live?

[asteria01]

Hi, Im new to this forum and to somewhat new to phals~ We've always had phals around the house when I was little, but this is my first time taking care of it seriously.

I bought a Ben Yu "orange blossom" phal that I discovered was actually fragrant after taking it home, and I was super excited and determined to keep it alive. However, life got a bit busy and Im ashamed to say that it has been neglected. As of now there's only one leaf left on the original plant due to dehydration.

However, it has graciously put out a basal keiki this last month. Now this time, I really wanted to make it live. So, I decided to do a root trimming on the mother plant, and accidentally dropped it. When I picked it up, the inner leaf of the basal keiki was gone, and instead it was in the trash. It seems like I only broke off the inner leaf from the base, but I didnt damage the stem or crown? Needless to say I am so mad at myself atm.

I finished trimming the dead roots, and its got some good roots left. My question now is will the basal keiki live, and will the mother plant live also? Or will it just be one or the other or neither? I have attached a pic to see the aftermath of this plant. Thanks!

[asteria01]

Thank you jkofferdahl! Thats good to hear. Can I expect to see new leaves anytime soon or will I have nubs for leaves for a while?

[estación seca]

Welcome! You don't say where you live. Phals hybrids grow continuously if they're warm and happy.

[asteria01]

estación seca I live in central CA, where its dry and either too cold, or too hot. :\

For now its indoors. While its not necessarily cold yet, Im afraid of our chickens getting a good bite out of it!

[asteria01]

Will the phal need any extra special care with a keiki, especially one damaged like this?

[estación seca]

No special care. I would get the roots of the keiki wet several times a week or more, to encourage them to grow. You could do this with a spray bottle.