New Phal leaf has strange mottling - Virus?
 

Hello,

It's interesting how you grow the more you get to know growing Orchids. When I first bought this plant from a box store the only thing I knew to look out for was the overall condition of the plant (droopy leaves, wrinkling, dying flowers, etc.) but now that I know a bit more I've come to wonder about this new leaf that this Phal. 'Pink Pirate' has been growing. (Especially after the "Virus" thread got me thinking.)

Looking closer at it to take a picture I've also noticed that the lower most leaves have this sort of "mottling" & every leaf has that little "clipped" tip or notch if you will. This plant has long been hanging with the rest & I recently repotted it as it had springtails but appears otherwise healthy. The flowers have been well sort of falling apart and thinning around the edges. The petals on a few have "cracked" open but I've assumed this to be part of their dying off process...maybe? Also this plant was dyed with a blue dye. Here's a picture of the new leaf, see the mottling and the notch?

Any thoughts?

Attachment 97568

Insect damage?
 

I am not sure, Lotis. It kind of looks like something an insect would do. Do springtaiis nibble orchids I wonder?

I have had virused orchids -they looked different with black pits. streaks and yellow blotching.

Just a new leaf.
A lot of phals produce mottled leaves when they are new.

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The notch/clip is very uniform on all leaves, like that "half" of the leaf if you divided it by the center vein stops short of the other side. It's strange.

I just quickly saw a thing about viruses showing as black streaks or yellow mottling as you say Sharry. Mine looks more like a difference in pigment, it's weird. The mottling spots are darker whereas the area around it is a lighter green.

Thanks for reading though.

---------- Post added at 09:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 PM ----------

Saw this after my reply to Sharry. Thank you, that makes me feel better. Its biggest leaf doesn't have this but like I said the lowest two do. Sometimes this Orchid collecting/growing stuff wrecks the nerves!
;)

Looks normal to me. New leaves, can have patterning, almost like it's patterning in how shinny the leaf is which can be seen in various lights.

It can be different on different phals. I have one that spotts like this, another that has stripes. The ones that do it seem to show it when growing really healthily and are less likely to show it if not doing so well. It also fades as the leaf ages.