This thing might die if you leave it as it is so don't feel hesitant to do some work with it. If the pot is in that bad of condition you will really improve your chances of bringing this plant back by removing as much of the old soil off of the roots and cutting off any and all of the roots that are soft, mushy, smell bad or in any other way damaged. If you are going too use plain old store bought potting soil should should mix it at least half and half with an orchid potting mix so you'll end up with a very fast draining soil and will hold moisture and still allow air to reach the roots. You can increase the orchid mix up to 3/4's of the mix if you want. Firm the soil into the roots but don't tightly pack it down. When watering, give enough water so that it drains out of the bottom of the pot. The soil will save enough of it for the plant but draining will also wash out any of the mineral salts that will build up over time. Stick your finger into the soil and feel if it's damp a few days after watering. Water again when it feels dry an inch or two under the surface. Syngonium cuttings can be started in water but don't use the rooting hormone if your do that. It is for starting cuttings in a rooting mix or soil. There are guidelines for using RootBoost in the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: rootboost-rooting-hormone/overview

So ... you're looking to give your plants 10-12 hours of sunlight ... or fluorescent light or LED light ... per day. I keep my plants blooming with a combination of window light and fluorescent light. You can use cheap desk-lamps with CFL or LED bulbs. The light source (and/or window) should be no more than 1 foot away from your plants. P.S. To start a new thread, select the appropriate discussion category (in this case, African Violets) and start a new question/comment ... Desk-lamp CFL bulb

Okay, so it's been a while since i actually wrote to everyone, and i guess you can say that im doing alright. Since 2006 my life has actually been alright. I'm starting to accept everything as the day passes and i know my family is also doing well. I do not write to my grandmother as much, but i do think about her every day. So, my grandfather had talked to the city about everything that happened that day on Sept 24th 2006. They decided that they needed to do some investigating on the EMS and the Emergancy Room. Yesterday i felt really depressed and lonely even though i have people with me. My boyfriend was with me when i started crying and it was like i couldn't control myself like i usually can, but i think it was because i haven't cried in so long. It felt really good that i can let it all out, and having someone to hold me felt amazing. Talking to my boyfriend about everything really doesn't help as much, because he didn't know the person she was, only my family know exactly how she was. I am very greatful that i got to spend the time that i did with her, and also at the same time i hate myself for missing the times that i needed to spend with her. But like my boyfriend had told me, i cannot blame myself for anything, because i didn't know what was going to happen. I still have the moments where back in the hopital it just plays over and over in my head...and that is something that is never going to go away unless i have some kind of memory loss. You know, there are times i wish things would happen like that to me..only because i feel that it wouldn't hurt me as much. I miss her so freaking much that i wish i could just walk up to heaven and bring her back down again. I don't know, maybe im just being selfish. But, also at the same time, i really don't care. I want her here with me. I just miss the way everything USED to be, how everyone would always be laughing and smiling. Now it's just different. My family is depressed. My family can't talk to anyone anymore about their problems and what to do in certain situations, things have certainly changed. But! We are doing better, it's going to be 2 years since i haven't seen or hear from her, i dont know..it's like im lost for words and i get so thoughtless. Anyway, thanks for reading :D Take care everyone. - Jennifer

Alyssa, try soaking the plant for at least an hour. When I grew orchids in NY, we dealt with dry, low humidity air over winter. The heat in the house dries everything out. You could use a vaporizer near the plant to increase humidity, but the more important thing to deal with is the dry bark. Until those roots can take up moisture, the dry air is sucking life out of those roots and leaves. Try the soaking method until the bark begins to stay moist for at least 3 days. That should begin to hydrate the plant. Make sure your Phals are getting bright light this time of year. You want to stimulate growth. Do not keep them too shaded. Your plant should begin to grow again. Good luck, Jane