Phalaenopsis (Sedirea) japonica leaf damage

[Tcc85]

Hello!

Looks like I also have a problem with my Sedirea. The leaves have some sort of damage, but I'm not sure why. For the majority of the year it was grown on the east facing windowsill, receiving around 2 hours of direct sunlight in the morning. I transferred it under the LED setup when I figured it was getting too hot because of the summer sun. I have it for 5 years now, in the spring it even flowered. Counted 12 flowers.

Looks like the damage area is a bit sunken. Like damage because of the cold water - the leaf might have been touching the cold window glass? It also has several black spots that that also appear to be sunken. Maybe some insect damage? Attached are some photos.

20210115_123233 by Click-er, on Flickr
20210115_123215 by Click-er, on Flickr
20210115_123152 by Click-er, on Flickr

Any tip is greatly appreciated.

[Orchidtinkerer]

Hey Tcc, nice that you got yours to flower this year. I think you identified the second damage correctly as insect damage.
The first one is most likely sunburn damage. From my experience it just looks unsightly but should not affect the orchid. Always keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get infected and spread but as long as you keep it dry it shouldn't pose any problems. Sometimes condensation can form on the tips of leaves that can magnify the sun and cause a bit of leaf damage. I wouldn't say there is anything wrong with your care especially since you have had it for 5 years and won't have changed much but something must have changed this year, maybe you moved it to a slightly different spot or you dropped some water on the leaf that could also magnify and burn the leaf.

[Tcc85]

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

Hey Tcc, nice that you got yours to flower this year. I think you identified the second damage correctly as insect damage.
The first one is most likely sunburn damage. From my experience it just looks unsightly but should not affect the orchid. Always keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get infected and spread but as long as you keep it dry it shouldn't pose any problems. Sometimes condensation can form on the tips of leaves that can magnify the sun and cause a bit of leaf damage. I wouldn't say there is anything wrong with your care especially since you have had it for 5 years and won't have changed much but something must have changed this year, maybe you moved it to a slightly different spot or you dropped some water on the leaf that could also magnify and burn the leaf.

Hey Orchidtinkerer, thanks for the reply! I'm glad that it isn't something contagious! Yes, in the past year I moved into my current apartment and I think this could also be a reason for the sunburn. I guess I underestimated the power of the morning sun... I'll keep it under LED lights from now on, and put it in the shaded part of the balcony in the summer. I did this in the previous apartment and I think it really liked that. Plus the temperature change in the night