I also doubt it is any deficiency issue because I give all my plants the same stuff and only one or two does this. and I have more than 20 phals.

Look up the staugorchid site .It tells you what to look for.

I think their website has an photo article on calcium deficiency, but I couldn't see any other.

By the way, I do not think the yellowing edge of the phals leaves are due to any deficiency because all the rest do not exhibit this yellow lining.

When we hashed thru this last Time-we did not have a good answer for the "why" either-i have 3 doing this and since i add Epsoms Salt-they new Leafs are good-i dont think it will go away on the old ones.But whatever the reason-mine do like the extra treatment.

Deficiency





Symptoms: Magnesium deficiency can result in cupped leaves, a reduction in growth and marginal or interveinal chlorosis (yellow along leaf edges or between veins) and usually is exhibited in the middle or older leaves (extracted from Orchid Species Culture by Margaret L. and Charles O. Baker). It can also cause an increase in appearance of anthocyanin (red/purple coloration) in leaves, particularly after exposure to cooler temperatures.

Treatment: Supply extra magnesium when the plant is in active growth. Use a good cal mag fertilizer, add Epsom salts at the rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon to your water each month (you can add 1 tbsp/gallon as a correction to reddened leaves), add 1 tablespoon of dolomitic lime per gallon or top dress with powdered dolomite.

Prevention: Supply extra magnesium via a good cal mag fertilizer, Epsom salts or dolomitic lime. You can also make the magnesium present in our well water more available to the plant by using an acidity generating fertilizer like 20-20-20 or one of the fertilizers available from SAOS.

Read More: Leaf Reddening from Magnesium Deficiency after Exposure to Cold (Dr. Martin Motes)

Leaf reddening from Mg deficiency after exposure to cold is very interesting!

One of my cattleya and one mini phal are showing dark "clouding" over the entire leaves, and this never happened last winter.

Then again, they are all fed the same way and I have no idea why only a few do this while the majority do not.

Thanks for the info anyways.

By the way, I use fertilizer that contains Mg and some other trace elements.
What about you?

I do too-but still give extra -plus i feed extra Iron now too -and for the first time ever i have 3 Phals making double spikes-dont know if this has anything to do with the extra feedings-but they sure like it and they all look very healthy .You feed yours all the same and me too-and only some get the light green on the edges-maybe some need more then others? I had 3 doing it -2 hybrids and one Species

Plants drive me nuts sometimes. lol

They keep us on our Toes for sure .
But nothing a Glass of Wine cain't fix ( for you-not your orchids :rofl:

That is why I always have a few bottles of wine, vodka and rum handy. hahahaha

right now I use via mag, my question is I water 2x wk is 1 tbs per gal 1x wk to much or is that not enough comments please