Dimpling on leaves

[wuness]

One of my orchids has curious dimpling on all the leaves. Only one of the leaves has discoloration associated with the dimples. Can anybody suggest what I have here? (This plant has been trouble since I bought it 4-5 years ago. It's about to flower, but if this is a virus, I won't be disappointed to see it leave my collection.) Thanks. wuness

[camille1585]

The first photo looks like normal healthy leaves (even with the uneven texture), and as for the second photo, the black spots could be caused by a number of different fungal or bacterial pathogens. What are your growing conditions like?

[wuness]

Camille: I grow in a greenhouse and summer these plants out of doors June-Sept. I have something like 75 Cat alliance plants and none of them have leaves that have this irregular surface (although I do have experience with leaf spotting). With this plant I get buds blasting and new shoots rotting more often than I like. I think I'm just looking for an excuse to dump it.
wuness

[Roberta]

I agree with camille1585, those dark spots look more like a fungal or bacterial infection. The only way to be certain about virus is to test (I have seen plants that looked awful test negative and plants that look OK test positive, color break in the flowers is usually a giveaway) However, there are other diseases that can cause a plant not to thrive. How hard you want to fight for it depends on how much you love the plant or its rarity (Phals, not so much). At some point, you may decide that whatever the problem is, not worth taking up the space or potentially risking other plants. Especially if you're moving plants into the greenhouse for the winter, the last might be the deciding factor... outside, the spread of disease between plants is minimized because the air is always moving, and being refreshed. In the confines of the GH, it's more like a college dorm... things can spread easily in a confined area.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by wuness

Camille: I grow in a greenhouse and summer these plants out of doors June-Sept. I have something like 75 Cat alliance plants and none of them have leaves that have this irregular surface (although I do have experience with leaf spotting). With this plant I get buds blasting and new shoots rotting more often than I like. I think I'm just looking for an excuse to dump it.
wuness

And it appears you may have answered your own question.