Unhappy Phalaenopsis
I'm not sure exactly which Phal this is, I just know it's a phal. It was my friends orchid. He's a newly graduated botanist (so the neglect is even more tragic) and decided to refocus his hobbies, orchids no longer being one of them, and gave a bunch to my GF and I. All seem to be doing well except one sad, sad little phal.
Well, the dracula lotax is very unhappy - I just can't keep it cool enough without getting it light, but that's a different story.
The phal was small anyway, but it had some decent leaves. 3 or 4 of the biggest leaves yellowed and blackened at the base, then fell off, bottom up. It has a second offshoot that was looking good, but is now wrinkly and blackening.
He had it in a small (2 inch) terra cotta with lava rock base and sphagnum on top. I took a peak and at least half of the roots were completely shrivelled, black, dead dead dead. Some had no sheething left at all. Some were just black, wrinkled, hard, and didn't "green up" with moisture. So I cut all dead off and repotted it. Kept the lava base (after sanitizing) and added some orchid bark mix to the top/interspersed. The orchid mix is from the local greenhouse - homemade there. bark, some charcoal and a small amount of the white expanded pebble stuff.
I know pictures are needed to really get an idea here, so I'll try and post from my phone shortly.
Is there anything I can do besides sit back and wait? Keep watering it? It's been getting completely dry, probably every other day, before I can get it watered. I know it's not good to water too frequently, but it's getting bone dry. To reword my question, are there things I can do yet to try and help recovery, do I sit back and wait and hope for recovery, or is this little guy a lost cause and I just need to accept that it's not my fault (it came to me with the leaves already breaking/falling off)?
Thanks!!!
Dave
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