Orchid leaves are turning to jelly

[orchidlauren]

One of my orchids leaves is turning into jelly, and seems to be spreading out, My orchid stays inside so it cant be damaged, this it my favorite orchid, anyone know whats happening? the leaves outer layer has turned into a delicate film and the inside is liquifying. Help!!

[Roberta]

Did it experience sudden cold?

[aliceinwl]

I’ve also had this happen with what I assume is a bacterial/fungal infection, but the affected area usually browns rapidly. I take a clean sharp blade and cut off all or part of the leaf well into healthy tissue and dust the cut with cinnamon. I wear gloves or wash my hands before touching my other plants and sterilize the cutting tool.

New or previous injuries seem to be entry points and Phalaenopsis kept too cold seem to be particularly prone. As long as I catch it before it reaches the stem, the plant has been fine. I also move affected plants to warmer growing locations to prevent recurrence.

[SouthPark]

Possibly bacterial activity. Possibly.

Details of the growing conditions could be beneficial here. Eg. air-movement in the growing area, media used, pot drainage, temperature range, watering schedule, the state of the media in the pot.

For the liquidy region, it might be necessary to use clean cutting tool (sterilised) to cut away the liquidy region (plus a little bit more) - just to cut down on spreading. And dispose of that liquidy part carefully, and then sterilise the cutting tool again too.

And if the plant is happening to be growing in still-air, then consider providing some air-movement around the plant, and also through the pot and media.

[orchidlauren]

It did not experience any cold. It stays in about 75-80°F.
Watered once a week - 50/50 moss & bark
Recently just repotted,& it lost 3 leaves - currently damp
I soak the media (in a clear pot) and let it drain for 30 minutes before putting it back into a pot that also has drainage
Area with lots of airflow
Cut it off and disinfected everything

[SouthPark]

O.L ..... does the growing area have natural air-flow/air-movement most of the time?

If you have some orchid treatments, such as agri-fos, then could possibly try spraying the leaves and stem with something like that.

[camille1585]

Was the leaf touching a window? If it's cold at night Phals can get cold damage from contact with the cold glass.

-Otherwise, it sounds a lot like Erwinia (soft bacterial rot). If it is still spreading, best course of action at the moment is to cut off the affected plant, making sure to take a good margin of healthy tissue with it to make sure you got it all. Then dust the cut with some cinnamon to seal it off.

If it isn't spreading, just watch and wait. The liquidy part will eventually dry out.

[orchidlauren]

My orchids are kept nowhere near a window and receive constant air flow, i just cut the affected area away in hopes that it would stop the spread