Thanks. I think I did also post it there.

OP: Someone recently started a growing outdoors thread on the Orchids forum, so you might check there -- BTW, I didn't see your post there. Only one response from a Floridian (though, I believe he's one of the veterans/orchid gurus), but you can get the general gist. Also, try doing a search (at the top of the Orchids forum page) for 'wrinkled leaves'.

I have a number of store-bought phals that have done well over the years, and it's highly recommended that store-boughts be removed from the media (usually a soggy, crammed mess of sphagnum moss) they're packed in and re-set in better media. You might want to check the roots to make sure they're not dying. Good luck!

Thanks again. I appreciate your suggestions.

I can't offer suggestions specific to your climate but if it has plenty of good roots (these turn green when watered and are not rotted) and it's planted in a fast-draining medium it may just need more water. Plants will dry out much faster outdoors than indoors so you will need to adjust your watering frequency. Here, during the heat of summer I have to water my phals daily and they're indoors. If your plants are drying out within hours you may even have to water twice a day.

Also, if it's only the bottom-most leaves which are wilting and the top/newer leaves are fine it may just be the plant shedding older leaves, as they do from time to time. In that case, the plant will draw all nutrition from the old leaves and they will eventually turn yellow and drop by themselves - this is normal.

When growing phals outside exposed to the elements, if you can, try to position the plant so the leaves hang down towards the ground as they do in the wild. This will prevent water standing in the crown of the plant leading to crown rot which can be fatal. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips. I have begun watering more frequently and the roots do green up when watered. I'm still a little concerned about the leaves since only a couple are firm and green and no new ones have appeared. I have several blooms on 4-5 stems so am hoping for the best. Thanks again.

Unfortunately, once the leaves have wrinkled for a while they'll stay wrinkled until they naturally drop. It may look ugly but as long as the newest leaves stay nice and firm it shouldn't be a problem for the plant health-wise.

Flowering takes a lot of energy from a plant so it's normal not to see any new growth until after it's finished blooming. Once the current flowers fade you can cut the spike an inch from the base of the plant to encourage growth.

Thanks. As a newbie to orchid growing, but a plant lover, I really appreciate the tips.

Phals will definitely do well here. Tampa Bay Area here. I brought a phal from Dallas (yellow one below) and it's loved it since I've brought it and has re bloomed reliably and profusely (this year it even made 3 simultaneous spikes). I have been keeping them under the screened in lanai but it would get morning sun. I've since added to my collection and they have all rebloomed for me, bloom from March through June (I usually get secondary spikes). I only had to bring in once since I moved here in January when temps got freakishly low but I don't know if you would get freezing temps there. Only suggestion I can think off if growing where they'll get rained on is to position them so the water doesn't collect on crown; side ways is the way their ancestors grow in nature I believe. I moved, so they aren't in screened in lanai anymore. So definitely have to watch watering with the rainfall.

Thanks! Your orchids are beautiful. BTW I'm in Naples. Leaving in May but garden store staff tells me mine should do fine.

Most commonly sold orchids are mass produced and forced into bloom while still very young. They often struggle for a while because they don't have enough roots to support themselves outside of the climate controlled greenhouses where they were grown and their leaves are often big, soft and floppy which means increased transporation (water loss through leaves).

When shopping for phals for south Florida, I find it's best to avoid ones with floppy lanky leaves and instead go for ones with very rigid hard shorter leaves. A bigger root to leaf ratio is advantageous. I find that phals with these qualities tend to be much more resilient in general. Your plant may adapt to our climate by doing just that, producing shorter more rigid leaves and a bigger root to leaf ratio.

Thanks for this info. I wondered how adaptable an orchid bought in an Ohio grocery would be outdoors in SW Florida. This was a gift from a friend; I wouldn’t ordinarily attempt to bring one here from Ohio. So far so good and it does seem to have healthy roots. I’ll be interested to see what any new leaves look like!