Question
Hi!I've received a phalaneopsis a month ago.Suddenly I repotted it because I saw that the pot was too small for the roots but I used ordinary peat than I watered it and left it to dry before watering again.A month after I saw that the 4 leaves it had fell off altough the flowers stayed very nice.Today after I read some of your answers
I decided that the remedy was to cut the stalk and the rotten roots[there were a lot]and put it in moist paper in a zip bag.The plant is unrecognisable with just 3 looking like healthy roots ,no leaves and just 2 small stalks.I wish you could reassure me there is hope for my Phalaneopsis. THANKS

Answer
Hi Lina,

I don't want to give you any false hopes about saving the phalaenopsis but chances are slim.  Placing it in a baggie is basically the last hope for saving it and I hope it does that for yours.  

Keep it in a warm shady location for several months, checking it once a week to see how it is doing.  Open the bag for a few minutes to allow fresh air in then reclose it and put it back.  When you check it, look for any green growth to appear, if it does that could be a keiki (baby plantlet) starting to grow.  Keep it in the bag until there are several roots over 2 inches long before putting it into a small pot with fresh orchid potting media.  

Keep in mind that phalaenopsis orchids prefer bright indirect sunlight, temperatures between 60F to 85F, humidity above 50% along with some light air movement.  Watering should be done when the potting media becomes barely moist and also should be done in the morning.  Feed it a balance type orchid fertilizer once in a while to keep it growing.  

Hope this helped.  Good luck!

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.