Question
hi there! i am in desperate need of help regarding my phal orchids. i bought
3 orchids last summer and they bloomed beautifully. all three stayed bloomed
for almost 3 months straight, which really impressed me. but after the flowers
died off, i seriously neglected the plants. and by seriously, i mean, i just left
them on a dresser and didn't even water them. *cringe* SO...now with spring
around the corner and visions of beautiful blooms dancing in my head, i
decided to try and resuscitate them. but i fear it might be too late!                
two of them have no leaves at all, just a stub and what appears to be a dead
stem. i took those two out of the pot and tried to repot them (i used the same
soil though...i don't know if i can do that or not). the roots appeared to be
almost all dead, although when i pulled on one, the outer skin came off (like
snake skin) and the inside was a very fine root that was a pale green color.
does that mean it's still alive and hanging on by a thread? the second one had
mostly dead roots (aside from the inside having the thread-like green roots)
however there were one or two that were still relatively plump and green. do
these sound like they can be resurrected from the dead?
the third one still has very healthy looking leaves (it is the one that bloomed
the longest and is the tallest, so i assume it's the strongest) and i took it out
to repot it and the roots were all very green, but had grown around and
around in circles trying to fit in the little pot. so i repotted it in a larger pot.
on all three i cut the stem back to wherever the looked like the healthiest
spot on the stem.

i know i cant' be doing any of this right, and i don't have a green thumb at all
whatsoever, but i just wanted to know, if there is any way possible to save
these little guys? thank you SO much for any advice. i know  i should have
asked MUCH sooner!!

Answer
Heather, you are not giving yourself enough credit.  I hope you are repotting in fresh orchid potting mix.  The plant that has the healthy roots and leaves has the best chance for survival but it needs to be repotted in fresh potting mix in a plastic pot with several holes in the bottom for drainage. The collapsed roots that have only the root hairs remaining are dead.  It is very difficult to bring back a plant that has no healthy roots or leaves. If a plant has evn a small leaf and a root, it may come back.  A plant that has no growing point (ie where the leaves originate) is not likely to survive. You may try to revive the two plants, but recognize that it will be a long road back if you can get them to grow.  Please feel free to get back to me if my response leaves some of your questions unanswered.