Pleated leaf

[dianecty]

Hi! According to the Ortho Orchid book, pleated leaves mean not enough water. My oncidium has wet roots though and it does not look underwatered. The pseudobulbs are plump and healthy.

What could be the matter?

All the other leaves are ok. It's just the tip of one that is pleated or ruffly.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Was the leaf a newer one or older one?

[camille1585]

Like King of orchid growing says, whether the leaf is new of old is important. Once a leaf is pleated it will stay that way forever, so if it is old leaves you are talking about, the damage was done a long time ago. If it is the new ones, your current watering should fix it. Just make sure to let the medium dry out a bit between waterings to avoid root rot!

[dianecty]

I don't know how to tell if the leaf is new or old growth. It is not as big as the other ones, so I don't think it is old.

Should I just water it more then?

[Royal]

New growth comes from the middle and is on top of the others. The lower leaves are usually the older ones.

Camille is right, your current watering is probably just fine as long as the newest growth looks normal. Pleated leaves are a sing of water stress, but that stress could be because of repotting or root loss. Sometimes a medium that stays too moist will rot some roots leading to water stress b/c the plant can't take up enough water to support growth. The grower, automatically assuming that pleated leaves means not enough water, will worsen the problem by increasing water.

Just keep doing what your doing if the plant is happy.