red spots = orchid measles!
 

Hi,

I am having this problem with my complex - Paph global challenger x (tingtagel x sparsholt).

I've had it a for 2 or so years, there are actually 2 plants in the pot.

The problem on its leaves has been there for maybe 2 years slowly killing off the lower leaves. To begin with I tried cutting them off, but they are discolouring quicker than they are growing.

The damage is only on the top of the lower leaves, and starts on the leaf opposite not the leaf directly above.

I repotted recently, big healthy happy furry roots.

I grow on a heat mats in a north east facing window

Help!

Somehow it looks like sunburn.

Hi Tarev,

I agree it does look like sunburn!

But I don't think it is...

I thought the uppermost leaves that get sunlight first the ones being disfigured?

This has been going on for a while, at my old house the plant was getting hardly any light and this was still an issue with it.

I thought it might be mites, but I've been wiping the leaves recently with alcohol and dish soap and nothing is coming off.

At one point I think I cut of all affected leaves (even the lightly spotted ones) but now the supply of removable leaves is getting pretty low!

it might be old and done. I dont think I have had any leaves make it 2 years on the same growth on my paphs. They bloom and pretty much thats it for them until they come up with some sprouts. If its never bloomed it might not ever and may be past its prime blooming age and just giving it up. The overall yellowing seems to be natural senescence.(biological aging). The spots are only magnified by this as most paphs and many other orchids the small black spots are endemic to them but not as pronounced.

Hi, i think I've been misunderstood, these aren't the first leaves to change, its been happening continually, the plans are becoming smaller and smaller - I though it was senescence to begin with, which is why I left it for so long, but it doesn't really follow the normal pattern. The yellow expands outwards from the red spots.

I would love to know how to fix this, as I've just invested in some serious multi-floral paphs (read $$) and I am scared to put it anywhere near them!

Could it be a nutritional deficiency? I have quite a few different plants aside from orchids and for my other plants, leaf color is a great indicator of whether the nutritional needs are being met. Different factors can influence the absorption of nutrients and different plants have different needs under different conditions. I have a book somewhere (too tired to look for it right now) that is really helpful in these matters.
Just an idea if nothing else fits.

Looks like too much sun to me...but I've never had a plant old enough that it's ready to actually die off so I have no idea.

Or could it be mineral toxicity? I read somewhere (I'm new to paph, so had to do some reading) that paph have a low tolerance for phosphorous. And because its being happening for a while maybe is the fertilizer you are using, which may be o.k. for the other paph, but not for this particular one depending on the parent plants. Just my:twocents:

So tell us about your water quality and fertilizer use - formula, concentration used, and frequency.

What's it growing in, and when did you last repot?


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

First off, it is not sunburn. Trust me.
I have been growing lots of these complex for years, and whether it's complex or maudiae or parvi, all my paphs get quite strong light that many people might get shocked based on misinformation of paph=low light orchids.
Plus, the grower herself says this plant does not get strong light, and sun burn does not look like this on paphs and it will occur on the top leaves if ever.

For some reason, some of my compelx paphs have leave issues. They do not quite start like yours.
Mine will have either the tip or ridge near the tip will start having indented brown or yellowish, and sometime even black, and then they start to progress. This does not seem to care the age of the leaves it affects.
So far, I have not been able to tell what the cause it.
I thought maybe it's something that complex hybrids are susceptible to because I don't see this happen to my other types of paphs.