Damage on Phalaenopsis leafs - what could it be and how to cure it?

[bdelfiero]

Your phal is very dehydrated....you need to water them as they need. Since it was potted in clear plastic pot, you can perfectly see the root development and when you see that the roots are turning white, it's time to water.

[camille1585]

I agree, your plant is very badly dehydrated, but it's not a matter of watering more for it to recover. it just doesn't have enough roots to keep the leaves hydrated. However it does have a few roots, so is not a lost cause just yet.

At this point one course of action that I would suggest (and has worked for me on a rescued nearly rootless phal) is to repot it in the smallest pot that the roots will fit into. If you don't have anything, you will have to improvise like I did. I cut the top off a 0.5 liter plastic bottle at the height I needed, and burned drainage holes in the bottom using a nail heated over a flame.

Since the phal was so top heavy I stuck it in a larger clay pot to keep it upright, and then stuck everything in a clear plastic bag with damp paper towels at the bottom for humidity, and kept it out of direct sun. After a few months my phal had grown several new roots and a small new leaf.

In the future if you are ever in doubt about a new orchid you buy, unpot it to see what's going on below, and if needed change the medium. it could be that the medium this one came in was getting old and holding too much water. In clear pots you can look at the roots to know when to water. As long as the roots are green and there is condensation inside the pot, the plant is fine. Once that condensation is gone and the roots have turned silvery white you can water again.