Pleated Leaf on New Novelty Phalaenopsis

[HiOrcDen]

Two Novelty Phalaenopsis which I ordered arrived today. One has one yellowing leaf. It is in spike, and I have read that an Orchid may shed a leaf when it begins to spike, and I'm wondering if anyone will confirm that.

Another issue is that another leaf looks somewhat pleated, along the length of the leaf. I have read that the pleats could be a sign of under watering, and also claims it's a sign of overwatering.

Are there any very definitive factors which will reveal whether the problem might be under watering vs. overwatering, in general?

The moss this Orchid came in was quite moist, so my best guess that it is an excess of water.

In any case, what I really need to know is, how to recover the pleated leaf?

[Ray]

There are no “hard and fast rules” about such things, as a multitude of things can lead to the same symptom.

In my opinion, the yellowing and dropping of a lower leaf is sometimes due to underfeeding, as the plant is forced into drawing nutrients from it to send them to newly-growing tissue.

“Pleated” leaves is a common occurrence in oncidium, not phalaenopsis, and can be due to insufficient humidity or insufficient water uptake, but that can be due to underwatering OR a compromised root system.

[Paphluvr]

As long as the yellowing leaf is one of the lowest leaves I would consider that a normal occurance. Pleated leaves sometime occur and there is nothing you can do to unpleate them. With proper care the next leaf will probably be normal.

Not a big fan of moss as a substrate, probably a good time to repot and check the roots. Frequently 'underwatering' is due to a lack of a good root system.

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by Ray

There are no “hard and fast rules” about such things, as a multitude of things can lead to the same symptom.

In my opinion, the yellowing and dropping of a lower leaf is sometimes due to underfeeding, as the plant is forced into drawing nutrients from it to send them to newly-growing tissue.

“Pleated” leaves is a common occurrence in oncidium, not phalaenopsis, and can be due to insufficient humidity or insufficient water uptake, but that can be due to underwatering OR a compromised root system.

Thank you! So by overfeeding, do you refer to fertilizer, rather than water, or possibly both. And I have what may sound like a silly question... I am not sure if the grower has used distilled water with these, and she hasn't yet answered my email about it. So the question is, could it do any harm to the Orchid to water with distilled water, if it has always been watered with tap water. Again, sorry if this is a silly question, just want to be certain!

Originally Posted by Paphluvr

As long as the yellowing leaf is one of the lowest leaves I would consider that a normal occurance. Pleated leaves sometime occur and there is nothing you can do to unpleate them. With proper care the next leaf will probably be normal.

Not a big fan of moss as a substrate, probably a good time to repot and check the roots. Frequently 'underwatering' is due to a lack of a good root system.

Thanks. Yes, the yellowing leaf is a bottom leaf, and the Orchid is in spike.

I wonder if either of you might answer this... The Orchid has the slightest hint of a tiny yellow spot on a healthy leaf (and not the pleated one) I am a bit paranoid it will inevitably progress to total yellowing, eventually. Is this indeed just paranoia, hopefully?

[Ray]

Orchids evolved receiving rain as their only source of water, so pure water is preferred, not something to be concerned about. In nature, nutrition is applied more-or less continuously, in extremely small concentration, in that rain as it cascades through the forest canopy, and by the action of microbes in the rhizosphere.

However, if you start using a purified water source, you’re going to need to provide ALL nutrients, as the water will contain none, and that must include both calcium and magnesium. I recommend the K-Lite or MSU RO formulas.

As far as the spot is concerned, a photo is necessary to make a reasonable guess.

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by Ray

Orchids evolved receiving rain as their only source of water, so pure water is preferred, not something to be concerned about. In nature, nutrition is applied more-or less continuously, in extremely small concentration, in that rain as it cascades through the forest canopy, and by the action of microbes in the rhizosphere.

However, if you start using a purified water source, you’re going to need to provide ALL nutrients, as the water will contain none, and that must include both calcium and magnesium. I recommend the K-Lite or MSU RO formulas.

As far as the spot is concerned, a photo is necessary to make a reasonable guess.

Thank you again, for the valuable info! This will further spur my research, once more

I'm attaching a pic of the leaf we are discussing...

EB34-B009-DFEF-48-A1-B39-D-4-EB5590-B19-DF — ImgBB

Sorry, could not get the upload to work! And still not perfect with the hosted image... will have to zoom, but good definition!

[estación seca]

That's probably from a scrape or a solitary insect bite. I wouldn't worry.

Yellowing of leaves also happens when Phals are moved from warm, humid areas to less humid areas. They carry more leaves when ambient humidity is high.