Hi everyone, Can anyone identify what is wrong with my orchid plant? The problem is occurring on the underside of one leaf, and it seems like there is some loss of pigmentation in the form of circles. I noticed the problem then when I received it as a gift from a friend, but I think it is gradually propagating throughout the leaf, starting from the tip. I greatly appreciate your help. Thanks!
What kind of soil is it in, what do you feed it, and how often? I've seen nutrient deficiencies/excesses look simiar to this.
It would help to have a better picture. A clear, close-up pic of the affected area, and the back of the leaf. Right now, I'm either thinking sun burn, or cell-collapse because of cold water on the leaves, or could be bugs or virus. To be on the safe side for now, keep it isolated from other plants, and sterilize any cutting tools you use on it, so as not to spread virus, if that is what it is. Better pics would help, though.
Hi Tom, The orchid is in a 50/50 sphag and bark mix. I've never fed the plant anything since I got it. I've had it for approximately 3 weeks now. What do you suggest for plant foot? Also, could the problem be a potential threat to the orchid?
Hi Kevin, Initially I thought it could be a result of sun burn, because the orchid was placed a meter away from a large, west-facing window. But I recently moved it to a shaded corner, with indirect sunlight. Also, I've never put water on the leaves, so perhaps it could not be cell-collapse. But could cell-collapse be caused by over watering? Because when I got the orchid it was planted in sphag, which retained much of the water when I removed it from the original pot.
cell-collapse is from cold temperatures, not water. I said cold water on the leaves, as this would be a shock to the leaves. Have you had the room temps very cold? It might not be that, then. Is it simply discolouration of the leaves, or are those spots thin and mushy? Try spraying the leaves with an insecticiadal soap - you might have a bug problem. Virus is the other possibility.
Hi Kevin, The room is at room temperature during the day, but sometimes it can become slightly cold during nights, but not too cold. It's simply a discolouration of the leaves; the spots are not mushy at all - it feels like any other part of the leaf that is not affected. I would also like mention that the problem already existed when I received the plant, so it may be harder to pin point what I've personally done in terms of plant care to cause the problem.
Yes, very hard to say if it happened when you didn't have the plant. One remote chance you could try... Phals sometimes have similar-looking damage from spider mites. They're almost too small to see. You can test for them by wiping a damp white tissue under the leaf, all the way down to the stem. If the tissue comes away with a very faint orange color you can see the individual orange-red mites with a magnifying glass. Btw, I'm fairly sure it is not sunburn, as that has a much more even lightening of a larger area. It is not splotchy like this.
