Without the center grow point it will die. That is why do not water in the center. It could kill the plant from rot. Don't shoot the messenger.

Maybe not.dress the crown with hydrogen peroxide,let it fizz until it stops,drain out the water that is left,dust a little powdered cinnamon on it(this will help to prevent infection).continue care as usual BUT be careful not to let water get in the crown. Once the roots are healthy it may put out a basal keiki.plus it would be interesting to see what eventually happens.i know how upsetting this is for you but at least you will gain a bit of experience how nature heals itselfðÂÂÂ.and if it does die at least you tried your best to save it.best of luck to you.

This happened to one of mine, too. I've been hanging on to it, in hopes it would maybe grow another leaf from there anyway, but it's been months. It's a white phal hybrid that was a centerpiece from a wedding I went to. I'm going to toss it.

It depends a lot on the ancestry, some hybrids readily make basal keikis, others are tardy!

Hello,

This is one of three phals that was severely dehydrated.It was coming back slowly when it developed crown rot.I applied H2O2 and sprinkled the crown with cinnamon and figured it was just a matter of time before the whole orchid died.It refused to do so and put out two keikis.Give it some time to see if it will put out a keikis.

Allymarie