Paphiopedilum With Cracked Leaves

[monivik]

I've got a Paphiopedilum, the only one I've got, and I finally decided to repot it as I have had it for years and never once have I repotted it.

Anyway my Paph is really big, almost growing out if it's old pot, so I had the idea of splitting it into 2, especially since there seems to be a natural division in the middle (brown leaves). However I noticed that it had what to me looked like a flower spike starting to come up, and I was afraid of splitting it because of this reason. I still did repot it as I read somewhere that the best time to do this is spring-time. Anyway this is about a month ago now I think. So what I did instead was put it in a bigger pot. I've noticed that some leaves are starting to turn yellow/brown now since I repotted, but I suppose that's the normal cycle of older leaves dying?

Another question, this is a problem that I noticed this orchid had even before I repotted it. It seems to have brown cracks in the middle of the leaves. What could be the cause of this? I hope not snails or some other sort of plague... I didn't see any when I repotted it.

[aliceinwl]

I have no idea if this is what is going on with yours, but I had a Paph I’d waited a few years to repot. I noticed some slight yellowing on the old fans and finally repotted it. Over the next month the yellowing spread to all the old fans and a new fan on one side of the plant. It seemed to be some type of fungal infection. I unpotted it again and divided it. When I divided it, I had multiple fans attached to some of the yellowing fans and one large new fan without any of the yellowing fans attached. I ended up losing all but the one healthy fan.

[monivik]

Originally Posted by aliceinwl

I have no idea if this is what is going on with yours, but I had a Paph I’d waited a few years to repot. I noticed some slight yellowing on the old fans and finally repotted it. Over the next month the yellowing spread to all the old fans and a new fan on one side of the plant. It seemed to be some type of fungal infection. I unpotted it again and divided it. When I divided it, I had multiple fans attached to some of the yellowing fans and one large new fan without any of the yellowing fans attached. I ended up losing all but the one healthy fan.

Thank you aliceinwl… I really hope that's not going to happen. I read or heard somewhere that it's normal for old leaves to turn yellow when there's a flower spike, apparently all the energy goes to the new flower spike that's coming... or something like that.

I was wondering more about those brown cracks in the middle of the leaves. Which was something that this orchid had even before I repotted it, so I know it can't be the repotting that affected that. I was just hoping it wouldn't be some sort of snails or some other bug infestation. I didn't see any when I repotted it though.

[rbarata]

My guess is: too much light, too much heat and low humidity.
If you have it on a windowsill, move it farther away from the window.

[monivik]

Originally Posted by rbarata

My guess is: too much light, too much heat and low humidity.
If you have it on a windowsill, move it farther away from the window.

Thanks. Yeah it could be, I keep it by the windowsill in the coldest room in the house all winter, because in the winter there's hardly any sun shine there at all, so bright but no sun. Then once spring time is starting I move it to somewhere farther away from the window so that it will not get the direct sunlight. But it may still have had some sun light I guess... before I move it, maybe enough to leave it's marks on the leaves.

But yeah... I have to admit that I have really neglected all my orchids for a long time, never repotted them in years, I would forget to water them for periods of time, and never ever did I fertilize them. I'm suprised this Paph was in such good condition after all. It regularily gave me flowers. I love this plant!!! I am going to take much better care of it from now on!!!

I can't wait until the first flower bud opens.