Question
Hello Jim,

I was reading some of the advice you gave to other orchid growers and was hoping you may be able to also help me with mine... You seem to be quite the orchid enthusiast!

I have several phalaenpsis orchids in our home in Dallas, Tx. They are sitting on our dining room table and get ample indirect sunlight from a bright southwest facing window. The temperature in our home stays between 62 and 68 degrees. There is air movement as we have 2 dogs and they are always running around, and our home isnt that big. We occasionally open the windows as well, as it is mild in temperature here in Texas in December.

I water using one large ice cube once or twice a week (about once every 5 days), since our home is pretty dry. I keep the plants over a humidity tray with pebbles and water, (dont worry the roots are in a proper drainage pot and never sit in water!!), and I fertilize with 20-20-20 about once a month.

Recently I noticed one of the larger base leaves in one plant had a brownish rim around the edge of the leaf. It looks very precise, almost like someone stenciled it on. If I had to measure Id say it was less than 1/8 of an inch thick, and it goes evenly all the way around the rim of the leaf on the top and bottom. I should note by saying the last time I fertilized was only about 2 days ago, so I am wondering if possibly I over/under fertilized or did some thing else wrong? The plant in questioon itself seems healthy, been in bloom for several months now, and so, the flowers seem to be in a downward life cycle, the larger ones have begun to slowly wilt, one has fallen off, about 3 or 4 remain on each of the 2 spikes. However, the stems that connect the flowers to the spike itself have become pretty white in color in comparison to the other plants... I dont know if that would suggest a problem. The other stems appear more green, but are also in a younger growth phase?? I dont know. At any rate, I was wondering what that brown ring may suggest, and the whitish clor of the flower stems-- as I have not noticed it before. The leaves are all a bright green color otherwise and look healthy.

Lastly, I checked under the leaves of the plants, and they all appear healthy, no bugs or fungus I can detect. However, several of the leaves have a brownish edge to them, not unhealthy brown, just more like a defined end of a leaf with a noticably darker hue. Not all the leaves have it tho, so I didnt know if it was normal or not.

Ok, thanks in advance for any insight. I look forward to hearing what you think!

Katie in Dallas

Answer
Hello Katie in Dallas,

Thank you for including so much information, it does make answering much easier.  

Without seeing the leaf on the one phalaenopsis, it is a little difficult to say exactly what it is or what caused it.  One thing I would ask is if it really is brownish or could it be more reddish in color?  Some phalaenopsis, especially ones with red pigmented flowers can show some redness to the leafs when exposed to a little more sunlight than they need, it won't kill them but can be worrisome to some persons.  But, if it really is brown rather than red, that could be a sign that the leaf is beginning to slowly die.  Since it is the lowest and oldest leaf, it would be the first to die off.  

One other possibility for brown leaf edges would be the water you use.  If your city water is considered "hard" water, that means there probably is a high level of sodium, calcium and other minerals within it.  This along with the minerals supplied in the fertilizer could cause a buildup of mineral salts within the leaf, eventually causing brown or black edges.  This condition would appear first in the older leafs as the salts have accumulated over a longer time but eventually it will appear in the newer leafs.  

You water them by placing an ice cube on top of the pot?  That may be a little too cold for them as phals, as with most other orchids, prefer lukewarm water for their roots.  

The stem holding the flowers will turn light brown to white when the flowers wilt and die, so nothing to worry about there.  After the flowers have all died off, the tip of the spike may begin to turn brown, indicating that it is also dying back slowly.  You have a decision to make at this point, whether to cut the entire spike off or only part of it.  Before doing what I am about to suggest, make sure there are at least 4 mature health leaves, fewer than 4 can stress the plant.  Go down the spike to the first node (bump) then go back up about an inch and cut the top of the spike off.  If things go well, a new secondary spike will emerge from the node and in 3 months produce flowers.  

I hope this all made sense and is of some help.  If you have other questions or would like something clarified, write back and I'll try to help with them.

Yes, I am an orchid enthusiast or better known as an orchid addict.  (grin)  I also enjoy helping others from making the same mistakes I've made over the years.  I am still making mistakes but at least now I know when I've made one and learn from the experience.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.