| As I've been learning to take care of orchids, I've often heard that such and such "likes to be potbound" and I've always wondered how a plant is smart enough to know whether or not its roots were constrained by the pot that it was in. I tend to believe that "liking to be potbound" is synonymous with the risk of root rot associated with a high media-to-root ratio (if you will) where the roots sit in wet medium for too long, as mayres said above.
One of my "mini" Phals has a leaf that firms up and then goes limp so predictably through the course of a watering cycle that I have taken to watching it as an indicator of when I need to water. I'd suspect that I was underwatering (and may still be) except that the plant otherwise appears healthy and has grown slow but steadily since it's been in my care.
I'll keep up hope that your plant will rebound. Please give us a progress update sometime. |