Hello,
I have four phals. One is in a 6" pot and three are in 4" pots. One of the four seems to be doing well. The other three seem to have some problems. I re-potted them after they bloomed. I inspected the roots, removed the ones that appeared to be rotten, and re-potted in fresh bark. I have them under lights, I keep day temps around 80 and night temps around 65. I keep it at about 50-60% humidity. I water on Weds mornings, and I fertilize on Sat mornings. I have a ceiling fan in the room with them and keep it on med speed which provides very good air circulation. Last night I dug down in the potting medium and did notice some fragments of bad roots, however, each plant is putting out new, healthy roots, and each one has the beginnings of a new leaf on top. So what is causing the wrinkled and leathery leaves? Underwatering? I have even had some leaves turn yellow and subsequently removed them. Do I need to water more? I am sort of new, however, I have attempted to educate myself via books, and internet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Droopy and Wrinkled Phal Leaves
If the roots are/have rotted, then overwatering is the problem. Phals don't go completely dormant like some orchids but they need much less watering during the winter months.
As there are new leaves appearing, all is not lost. Phal leaves dislike being wet (Misting is fine) so should be watered from beneath and you could try misting the plants every day and reducing tthe watering to every two weeks.
Yellow leaves could also be indicating too much light, do they have any shading from your grow lights?
It's generally recommended that you go easy on the watering and withhold fertlizer for a week or two after repotting to allow the roots to adjust to the new home. Since the new potting mix has been soaked before repotting, the residual moisture will be enough for a week or more.
I would also recommend misting - you can mist the surface of the potting mix (and healthy roots near the surface) as well as the leaves, but be careful not to allow water to sit in the crown (where the new leaves are appearing). Also, I don't mist any yellowing leaves as I think it makes them prone to fungal problems (my personal opinion here).