squooshy leaves on new growth

[GrumpyBear]

i've been trying to turn a blind eye to this but it seems like its fairly intent on persisting... maybe the five dollar deal i got on this encyclia cochleata really was too good to be true...
when i bought it it was just out of bloom (hence the good price) but there was this little new growth already started and i dug down a bit and the roots looked decent so we went with it... now its starting another new growth and the original new growths leaf is coming in all distorted and crumpled up. anyone seen this before? too much light? not enough light? too much fertilizer? not enough fertilizer? stress? i did buy him then take him home on a two hour bus ride then repot him a week or two later. he lives on a humidity tray about a 8 inches away from a 23 watt cfl.
once again, sorry for the low quality pictures...

[JoeW]

Hello GB.
I have read that pleated leaves (different than shrivled) on a thin leafed orchid may result from inadequate watering. "If the growing medium dries too much between watering, roots never have a chance to become sufficiently established to boost vigerous growth." (Ortho)
"Some orchids with thin leaves develop “pleating” if there is inadequate moisture during foliage development. This cannot be corrected on the individual leaves once it has occurred; however, adjust the water schedule for future growth."(Missouri Botanical Garden Fact Sheet)
Maybe the plant just needs to re-establish the root system in the new medium. Low humidity and low light can also cause pleated leaves, but it sounds like you have this covered. Joe

[GrumpyBear]

well it's growing new roots like crazy, when i repotted it the roots weren't too bad, only a bit needed cutting back, but you could tell it had been recently repotted before that. i was actually worrying that i was overwatering it, i water twice a week and i read somewhere encyclias didn't like too much water. i guess i'll add a special third watering to the schedule, just for him...
oh well, i still love him...

[JoeW]

Don’t change the watering regimen. The wrinkled thin leaf growth on the developed pseudobulbs look like they suffered in the past and cannot be fixed. New growth doesnt have the flatish pseudobulb. That can take 6 months to develop. Looking at the picture, the growth on the left is new (which you are affecting) and looks great. I think you saved the orchid.

[hera]

Encylia cochleata will tell you when its happy with its watering schedule. Too infrequent and the pseudobulbs will wrinkle a bit. I watered mine twice a week when it was smallish and once a week when it was big and in a bigger pot. The wrinkled leaves are from inconsistent humidity, but it won't affect the plant in the long term. It will throw out roots like crazy. Its a tough little plant.

[GrumpyBear]

yay! i'm helping (not hurting...)!
the bigger pseudobulb that was blooming just before i bought it wasn't too badly wrinkled (just a little bit mostly on the top half) but the leaves had a couple tiny wrinkles, a small fraction of what this ones like tho. this growth was already started on the side at the time, so a good half of that wrinkled leaf has grown since i've had it (last two and a bit months i think...) so you're saying it's just a legacy from the plant stores watering habits?
i don't mind, just as long as he's healthy now. i hope the others don't make fun of him tho, 'chids can be so cruel...

[Becky15349]

Sometimes accordion leaves are caused by lack of humidity - how is your humidity where you grow?

[wetfeet101b]

well it's growing new roots like crazy...

Got to be careful with making conclusions based on that observation.

What do leaves do when they get insufficient light? They grow longer and bigger. Bigger and longer leaves are good, right? Not if they are doing it to compensate for lack of light.
Same can be said about roots. A robust root network is good, but not if the plant is doing it only in an attempt to "dig" for more water.

[frostedeyes]

hey nice polish u got there! yeah i also have that! look at my sick coelogyne forum... i just bought it as well... and ended up at home checking woah! how come i bought that thing! Lol anyway i got carried away with the scent im hoping it will go back! still leaves are pleated hey guys! i have question if u normalize the watering... will the pleating stays there or it will turn back to its normal leaf form thanks!

[wetfeet101b]

The pleating will be permanent on the leaves that have already formed.