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The leaves on my orchid are wrinkled or pleated. Why?

11 years ago

If you own an orchid from the oncidium alliance (Miltonias, Brassias, Oncidiums, etc.) and the leaves are wrinkled (also called acordion pleating) you have a humidity problem. The air around the plant is not humid enough, or there is not enough water getting to the plant, either from underwatering or a root problem. Rotted roots cause the same symptoms as an underwatered plant as the roots are not carrying water to the plant.

While the plant may recover, the leaves will be permanently pleated. {{gwi:2110311}}Image by: Carol Tognacci
Pleated leaves on an oncid.

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pleated leaves
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Comments (8)
"Ploidy issue" is saying that perhaps a plant has extra sets of Chromosomes that cause abnormal growth in the leaves or even abnormal flowers. Most orchids are 2n where one set of chromsomes comes from the pod parent and the other set from the pollen parent. Where there are extra sets of Chromosomes eg 3n, 4n, 5n ......sometimes the flowers are superior. Possibly an issue with some orchids in the foliage Department but the cause of pleated leaves is much more likely to be lack of moisture described by Brooke in the post above.
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If you get the high-quality bark, such as orchiata, or a mix that is bagged at a greenhouse, there shouldnt be trouble with mold. Especially when it is mixed with sphag. Besides the anti-fungal properties of the sphag itself, it also wicks moisture away from the bark and out of the center of the pot. If you do notice mold in an orchid mix, you can use hydrogen peroxide to water (the 3% kind) and then keep the mix a little drier (water less).
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Why are new leaves on my strelitzia partly wrinkled/bumpy? It's happened on 2 of 3 new leaves from the summer. They have not gone away at all with time. I don't see any pests except some fungus gnats. What do you think this could be?
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What’s wrong with my orchid’s leaves?
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NEVER put a houseplant accustomed to low light outside in direct sun .. EVER ... if you want to take things outdoors.. you have to harden them off to new light levels.. by taking them out to full shade for a few weeks.. and then slowly working them into sunlight... if it is the type of plant that thrives in sun ... the further south you go.. the more important this rule is .. and that is why above they asked where you are.. big city name ... as long as the leaf has any green.. it is converting light into energy .. so regardless of how bad it looks.. leave it on the plant until it yellows and browns.. and then cut it off .. ken ps: i think of orchids as hanging on trees in tropical forests ... yeah i know.. its a generality ... but that thought makes me think to myself... they are never in full sun ... of course im sure there are exceptions in the greater family ... but if you are searching those out.. you ought to know all about that.. check this out: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=orchid+natural+habitat&iax=images&ia=images
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