What to Do If a Phalaenopsis Orchid's Leaves Split? Causes and Solutions

Gardeners growing Phalaenopsis orchids in northern regions may run into the problem of leaves splitting during cultivation. Without some growing experience, you might think the plant has come down with some kind of disease, but in fact the cause of the splitting is quite simple.

Symptoms of the Splitting

When a Phalaenopsis orchid's leaves split, the specific sign is a crack running from the midvein in the middle of the leaf, and in severe cases the split extends all the way to the leaf tip.

Causes of the Splitting

When a Phalaenopsis orchid's leaves split, it is basically always due to the effects of overly dry weather, especially in the north where there is relatively little rainy weather.

Treating the Splitting

Case One

If the Phalaenopsis orchid was newly bought, the possibility of splitting is comparatively greater, because if it was previously grown in an environment with suitable temperatures and is suddenly moved to a different growing environment, the tender young leaves in the midst of rapid development will inevitably suffer more or less damage. If a leaf happens to get bent, splits of varying degrees will appear. But in this case, once the Phalaenopsis orchid slowly adapts to the new growing environment, the leaves can heal on their own.

Case Two

If the leaf splitting is not looking good and cannot heal through the plant's own growth ability, you can take measures such as misting the leaves, or spraying around the plant to increase air humidity. But note that you should not spray too much water, otherwise it will increase the incidence of diseases such as soft rot or blight, and that would hardly be worth the loss.