Is this scale?

[Maree]

I agree it does not look like scale and I definitely would not throw away. I had scale on a 6 foot fig tree years ago and removed the scale by hand with a Q-tip and alcohol and after weeks of work it was gone. The scale looked like tiny brown contact lenses that were easily removed with the Q-tip or fingernail.
I would not treat this as a disease. Just my

[mojomick]

Looks like mechanical damage to me as well. There are some pretty good pictures of scale on the internet. As a precaution, I never introduce new plants to my collection for at least three weeks. I keep them isolated in a window and treat with physan and neem oil every week for three weeks. then if they look pest free, I put them with my collection. Just a precaution. Betty

[Donald]

Not Scale

[DebsC]

Does not look like scale to me, either.

[Gin]

If you look very close to the left . I think I see a very small brown scale if damage from a prior infection keep a close watch on it .
If you ever get the brown scale be careful removing them soak them with a spray before removing them as the immature scale is under the hard brown scale which protects them they look like a white fuzzy dot retreat the spot they were on ..

[latebloomer]

Thank you all for your feedback! I just received an email from the grower and she explained that there was a problem with slugs before and that explains the holes on the leaves. The plant is pest free now, but the old leaves will remain scarred.

I do remember reading one of the threads that weakened plants become susceptible to other diseases so I will isolate and closely monitor the plant. I have Safers End-All and Physan 20 on hand so should I be applying at least the insecticide as a preventative measure?

Thanks again for everybody's input and ideas!

[Becky15349]

I really don't think you need to, unless the spotting gets worse. No reason to get out nasty chemicals if its not actively infected with bugs. This surely looks like odema to me - I have this on my phals also, and its never caused a problem...

[camille1585]

I agree with Becky, these is no need to be needlessly spraying chemicals. At this point it seems to be just a cosmetic issue. I have phals with scarring as well, and they are fine.
Just keep an eye on it, to be on the safe side.

[Judi]

I din't think it looked like scale either. I had similar "blisters" on a phal last year and I could scrape it off leaving pitting on the leaf where the blister was; it didn't spread. I had previous experience with scale and I knew it wasn't scale, but I had no idea what it was. Phalaephila, thanks for info on oedema. I found a link for oedema on orchids: PP244/PP164: Physiological Disorders of Orchids: Oedema and found it helpful. Latebloomer, check it out and see if it looks like what you have.

[latebloomer]

Thank you for posting the articles on oedema and orchid pests. Oedema does seem likely. The way the article described the blister as corky and that the tissue underneath is green is exactly how the leaf looks like. It also helped that there was a picture of a scale being scraped off. Having seen neither, it helped me a lot to have a visual reference.