Question
I have a phalaenopsis orchid that I repotted last fall and it very quickly put out a spike and is now in full bloom.  The flowers appear to be very healthy and beautiful and the plant is putting on additional blooms.  I water the plant weekly with a dilute 10-10-10 fertilizer added to the water about every 2 weeks.  The problem is that the leaves are all splitting from the tips at the center of the leaf.  The split leaf then yellows and dies.  The split cycle to dead leaf cycle takes about two weeks.  Is there something to do to make the foliage healthier?

Answer
Hello Randy,

The usual cause for leafs splitting is low humidity but the leaves do not die off very quickly, taking many months.  

Have you thoroughly looked at the leaves to see if there are signs of black sooty mold at the leaf base?  If there is, that could be caused by a fungus.  Fungus can grow very quickly under moist cool conditions over night.  

If you cannot see fungus damage, write back with any thing you find.  

Sorry I couldn't be of more help at this time.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.