I bought this mini orchid and it has winkled leaves; what does that mean? Does it need more water or less water?
It doesn't have many roots (all short and dried). Help me save it, please.
wrinkled leaves
Wrinkled leaves = not enough water.
dried roots = not enough water
The orchid probably needs re-potted into a better mix & some TLC.
You might need to remove all the potting material and let just the bare roots soak up some good water for a few hours, then re-pot into a good mix.
If you could show a photo it would help. Are the leaves curled or are the leaves actually wrinkled. Wrinkles can happen because the orchid got overly cold at some point. I have some problem with wrinkles when my orchids that require high light but warm temps are at the top of the greenhut in winter. They are unhappy with low nighttime temps on the roof but need the daytime sun. It may have happened in shipping. Phalaenopsis are one of those orchid species that are very sensitive to chilling. Sometimes older leaves wrinkle when they have been over-watered and have poor roots. The roots can't deliver the water to the leaf and the older leaves give out first.
Follow Qwilter's advice on repotting. Mist those short roots daily because a new medium will not hold water for several months. Loses happen when rescuing orchids from bad medium because you are going from a too soggy, rotten condition to a too dry one...From the frying pan to the fire.