Thanks to everyone for all the information and links... I have read the Canadian Orchid Congress culture notes... very good info there! I grow everything I can in unglazed clay, and I grow most things in a mixture of coco coir and vermiculite, with a layer of horticultural charcoal at the bottom of the pots... EXCEPT orchids, of course! For these, I use Schultz's Orchid Bark... I have tried using sphagnum moss as a medium, but it stays too wet and seems to hasten rotting in my growing conditions. My Phal is potted in a small clay pot with a layer of charcoal at the bottom, and orchid bark as the medium. I have a wooden skewer inserted near the center of the pot, and I take it out every few days to check for moisture. I know that the surface of the medium will be drier than the medium further down inside the pot. When I water, I use a dilute solution of orchid fertilizer and water. I have Superthrive, but haven't used it on the orchids yet... I use it every once in a while on my hippeastrums and other plants, and it seems to help them grow faster and look healthier. I use a few drops per gallon of water. The only good natural light in my apartment is from an east window, which is stuffed with plants, mostly hippeastrums in various stages of growth... and the orchids are front and center! They also have a light over them, approx. 8 inches away from the leaves. I know that the ambient temperature of the air in my apartment fluctuates... this is due to the type of heating unit run in winter... this cannot be helped. However, I do have a heat mat, and if this will be beneficial to the orchids, I can use it. When I repotted the Phal, I used a rooting hormone to hasten the development of roots. Since the spike that was growing when I repotted it is still growing and healthy, as is the youngest leaf, I was rather stumped by the older, larger leaves that began drooping... I will give the Phal a soaking in Superthrive, place the heat mat under it... and hope that it all helps to keep the Phal going until it can recover and grow more roots... I have an Epi Radicans sitting in the east window, as well... and it is doing well... I have that one planted in a small clay pot using coco coir/vermiculite as the medium. I water it with orchid fertilizer just like the Phal... if the Epi is doing good, why is the Phal unhappy? I don't believe their cultural requirements are that different...

You're welcome! And, I can relate to your wanting to keep something of you mother's around. The wall pocket I keep my Hoya in is one I came across at an antique store years ago. It's not fancy or worth much, but it is just like one my mother had when I was a child and when I saw it, I was flooded with memories of her tending to her various wall pockets and plants. I now keep that one and a few others around and think of her every time I look at them or tend to my plants.

Leaves look like H niger - Christmas Rose.

Then I wouldn't worry about feeding it for a couple of weeks. Just give it plain water. And in such a small container consider diluting it to 1/4 strength when using it. It is very strong fertilizer if it is the common 18-18-18 or more. Dave