seems like you have done just about all you can do ...

now just water it properly.. and lets see how it responds in the next couple months ...

lets try not to love it to death with repeated attempts to make it look better.. faster ... its not going to happen faster no matter what you do ...

and it might look worse before it gets better ...

and if it fails.. you did the best you could.. given the condition you started with ...

ken

I live in Portugal and we're still getting 30 degrees (celcius) weather here... I've been leaving it outside in the shade of a tree for the day and put it back in the house at night as it gets a lot cooler (around 16°C I'd say)... Should I be trying to keep it humid? I know I can't mist the leaves

I have kept my phal outside down to 5C without issue.

tj

When you say soil do you mean potting soil?

If so you would want to change that to an orchid bark mix.

Other than that just give it time and expect that it might start to look a little worse before it starts to get better.

Agree with all above. Just don't overwater, keep it warm over winter and give it good, bright light. Should pull through.

Jane

I bought some specific orchid bark mix, yes!
Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll just sit tight and give it time to recover :)

Looked up the weather for Lisbon. Looks to be similar to here re temperatures, but perhaps more humid during winter. At some time during Autumn, you will have to bring the plant indoors, Leaving the when up to the real orchid growers.

I will keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice!

i would err toward bringing it in early ... as this is the type of situation where one usually forgets in later fall.. until they wake up one freezing cold morning and then think about the plant that should have come in the week prior ...

think about how and where they grow in nature ... and try to replicate that as best you can.. clinging the the bark of a tree means little water except that which is god given.. and full complete drainage ... and that is why you need the special media for the pot .. and probably need to put the watering can where you might only think of it once a month ...

the tricky part will be.. when you bring it inside.. and it isnt in nature hanging from or on a tree ... and perhaps the furnace is heating the house.. etc ... but you have a few months to figure that out ...

just dont kill it with too much love ....

btw ... if that cup is the best you can do for a pot ... .. you can take a razor blade.. and slice the bottom edge of the cup in a few places ... .. to insure draining thru the bottom .... just dont cut yourself .... https://www.instructables.com/id/PICNIC-CUP-FLOWER-POTS/

ken

ps: ill take junkie at his word that its a phall .. and here they are in nature: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=phal+in+nature&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

Thanks for your comment Adrian! The pot you see is an orchid pot... At least that's what it was labeled as. I like to keep orchids in a clear pot since I live to see the roots. I have made quite a few holes in the side of it and it already came with drainage holes on the bottom!
I will look more into the 'trying to replicate nature' as I hadn't really thought about it before! Thanks for the tips

Update: the yellowing leaf is looking a bit worse... I think it got bit of direct sunlight and got sunburned yesterday.
On the bright side I am seeing some new green roots (it only had 2 or 3 yellow roots when I repotted last week)

I have found two little red spiders on it this morning and I am concerned it might be spider mites? Is there anything I can do to make sure they don't affect the plant?

You're fighting an uphill battle, it can probably recover, but it will be a while, and expect leaf shed.

That’s what I meant when I said it would look worse before it starts to look better.

That potting mix does look a little composted to me. I like it to be all chunks without any “dirt”. It should be able to dry out between watering. Thats hard to judge in the center of the pot. I usually find when I repot that the healthiest roots are around the perimeter of the pot. Roots in the middle tend to die off probably because of less air flow.

It‘s common for a phal to only have 3 or 4 leaves at a time depending on its breeding. You can expect the new leaves to be smaller but then each new one will be larger than the previous growth. That’s a good way to tell the plant is recovering.

If it only had three roots left I would put it in a smaller pot and I would use sphagnum moss instead of bark. I would keep the moss moist but not sopping wet. Also, the sun is way too strong and the air too dry in Portugal, even in the shade, for that kind of orchid, especially if it is already dehydrated. I would bring it inside and put it in an east or north facing window. Good luck! I love your country!

I have brought it back inside since it's been getting too hot outside and I had to be constantly moving it to keep it in the shade.
It seems like the roots are growing and look green and thicker so I'm afraid to repot it again, since I just did it last week? Is that not too much change for the plant?
James, the potting mix I bought is specific for orchids... Should I buy something different next time?
Thanks everyone for the tips!

Also, I watered two days ago and I can't see any condensation on the pot anymore so it doesn't seem like the soil is retaining too much moisture. Obviously I will wait a few more days before I water it again!

If you had a shady but bright area (like under a tree), the outside humidity/heat/available water (because I would spray it with the hose at least lightly nightly), were much to phal's liking.

I don't know what you have readily available in your area. Miracle Grow orchid mix is very common in my area, the problem with it is most big home centers have it in bulk stored outdoors. The bags get wet and the bark breaks down into compost in the bag, plus Miracle Grow potting mixes of any kind are usually pretty bad to begin with.

The important thing is that you adjust your watering to the media. If the center of the pot stays wet, the mix will break down faster which restricts air flow which then rots the roots. Some people use a wooden skewer stuck in the center of the pot, you pull it out to check the moisture in the pot. If it's dry water if it's damp wait.

If the humidity in you area is low, sphagnum moss is a good option as suggested by luvmyorchids. The quality of the moss is a factor, look for long fiber New Zealand sphagnum. It should be a light beige / tan color. Sometimes it's dyed for decorative use. It should also be kind of fluffy, not densely packed for air flow. It should also not dry out completely, dry sphagnum will repel water and takes some time to re hydrate.

You can also sift out the bigger chunks from the mix you have, you can use the remainder on other house plants.

That's great advice, James! I havent been looking at the center of the pot for watering, only the edges. I will keep that in mind from now on, thank you! I will also look into sphagnum moss to see where I can get it here