Likely it could go but I'd want to know how much other foliage you have first.

tj

Only four leaves.

Leave it. It can't hurt. It will contribute to the plant a little. It will die on its own I think soon anyway. Unless it is real ugly or I am brining it to the show and tell table, I do not cut stuff until it is lifeless and dried out. It will not transfer virus that way. Still clean your tools also. Any bugs on the underside of the leaf?

Why do people mist Phalaenopsis? I have never seen one growing in the wild, but as far I know they are not cloud forest type orchids which generally have thin leaves.

Once the leaves are marked those marks are forever even if the treatment has stopped the advance of disease. I leave them if parts of the leaf is still functioning.

Off to water my summer vacation orchids with the hose set on "mist", it is early morning and the Phals will be drier by nightfall. The hose is set on mist to stop the water stream disturbing the potting mix.

If you describe your growing conditions , the real orchid growers in the frozen north of USA might be able to help because apart from the leaf markings the plant looks unhappy.

Well I think I might have misted it by accident because it was near a hanging plant. Couldn't find any bugs on it. I moved it away from the window some where I had a mesh cloth but it was white and I guess too bright. It's a Paphiopedilum native to the mountains in Borneo.

I mist my any aerial roots my Phals may have, but try not to get the leaves wet.

Well yeah misting in bright light can cause the droplets to magnify the light and burn leaves. I don't really care if it has one ugly leaf I just don't want it to kill the thing.

Does it have a species name? Native to the mountains of Borneo? elevation? Temperatures needed? Some Paphiopedilums need warmth all year. There you go, I thought it was a Phal.... all the tesselations are nearly gone, it is very unhappy and over-potted.

Your micro climate temperature, humidity and what is the potting mixture?

Well I potted it after that leaf went bad. It's supposed to get large and the first pot was only a two inch pot that could have been knocked over easily. It's got two types of bark- cypress and a brand name orchid bark- not sure what kind. And a little Chilean Sphagnum moss- mostly just on top not touching the plant. Humidity in my house sucks- usually between 20 and 40. Papheopedilum Rothschildianum. They're expensive but this wasn't too bad because it's supposed to be a few years from blooming. I guess you'd call it a seedling but they have huge leafspans. The elevation it grows at is pretty high- I think it varies but over 1000 meters. Sometimes on rocks with leaf clutter. The house is around 21 Celsius.

"Well yeah misting in bright light can cause the droplets to magnify the light and burn leaves."

That is a myth that will not die.

tj

I agree, another urban myth.

Oh, I didn't know that. Well maybe it's a disease or something. Anyways it would be cool to see an orchid with a five foot leafspan. The adult ones can cost hundreds or thousands so I'll just hope for the best. Never had much luck with seedlings.

There are some growers here that might be able to help you. Darlene grows a mean Paphiopedilum. Tell us the name of your orchid and describe your growing conditions.

I did it's a few posts up on this page. The other three leaves don't look as bad though.

It is the dreaded sphagnum. It can be too wet. I do not grow paphs but I still think it is the potting mix....

Native to Borneo is not telling us the name. If it is

Paphiopedilum sanderianum (Rchb.f.) Stein, Orchid.-Buch: 482 (1892).This name is accepted.Distribution:NW. Borneo (Gunung Mulu)
42 BOR

Then you must have shelled out many dollars to purchase it and no I do not have any idea re. cultivation.
Forget what i said about tessellations, this is a plain leaf type and the remaining leaves look fine.

Sanderianum is similar but this is Rothschildianum. The sphagnum's mostly just on top.... I wrote all this all this same thread you guys just aren't reading it. That pot and that moss are both new since that leaf went bad so that couldn't have caused it. That wouldn't make any sense.

How would you compare the natural environment of the plant to where it lives now...

I just completely unpotted my (pretty sure) phal and it was as root bound as an orchid could be in the driest sphagnum moss I'd ever seen.. I had to put the whole thing to the top of the sphagnum into a cup of water so it would loosen it up so I could rip it outta there! I clipped it onto a dog cage that was drying outside so I'm hoping it'll do ok out there for a few days it's leaves are so shriveled from lack of water.. (got it from a business off their front desk. They were about to throw it out)

The decision on whether to cut the leaf or leave it depends on what is occurring with the spotting. If you think it is getting worse and it is caused by bacterial or fungal issues, cut the leaf and treat the plant in another 2 weeks. You don't want it to have a chance to spread. To help you figure out the possible spotting issues and treat options checkout this site:http://staugorchidsociety.org/culturepests-diseases.htm

I would hazard to say that poor air circulation can allow all sorts of things to affect our plants. I grow my paphs and one phrag in the yard year long and wet them down everyday (never at night), but, they're always in the path of a breeze and are on a slatted support. My pot size is solely dependent on the size the living root mass. If your plant was in a 2 inch pot the roots are probably not extensive. Too much media and short roots may further exacerbate the problem. I'd fit the pot to the root size, avoid water in the center where the leaves are forming on top and find a place where it gets a little moving air over it. Paphs also do well in bright reflected sun, not direct.