I have a Phalaenopsis orchid I bought about 3 months ago at a shop here in São Paulo. For the past few days its leaves have been really wrinkled and wilted, but it's not overly dry. I water it every 7 days or so. Could it be an air humidity problem or is it too hot near the window?
Wrinkled leaves in Phalaenopsis are usually caused by lack of water reaching the roots, not excess. Even if the soil seems moist, the roots might be rotted or the substrate might be too compacted to absorb water properly. Take it out of the pot and check if the roots are dark brown and mushy (that's a sign of rot), and if they are, prune the damaged ones and repot with fresh, well-draining substrate. As for heat and humidity, they do help, but first fix the root issue, otherwise it won't make a difference.
Wrinkled leaves in orchids is usually lack of water at the roots, not excess. Even watering every 7 days, it could be that the substrate is draining too fast or the plant needs more frequent watering - try soaking it in water for about 15-20 minutes (like a bath) once a week instead of regular watering, and then see if it improves. Heat near the window also dries it out fast, so move it to a spot a bit further away if possible, but still with good light. Air humidity helps a lot with orchids, so if you can manage that with a humidifier or even misting the leaves in the morning, that's even better.
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