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Dying leaf

I am a little unclear, I was told to remove the dying leaf on my phal, but how do I do that? How low do I go? Do I use a kitchen knife? And finally, how do I remove the leaf without damaging the leaves that are growing from inside the dying one?
 
You said that the dying leaf was an outer one, so it's probably part of the normal life cycle.  I would just let it alone.  It will fall off when it's ready.

If you really hate looking at it, or, more importantly, it's got dark brown wet spots (a sign of disease), than cut it off with a sterile blade, as close to the leaf base as you can get without injuring the other leaves.  The dying leaf should be soft enough for you to gently pull it downwards to open up enough space for you to do the cut.

The cut itself can be made with a fresh single-edged razor blade (available at hardware stores), a sterilized hobby-type knife (like an Xacto), small pair of sterilized scissors (like a cuticle scissors) or anything similar.

But, as I said, I'd leave it alone.  
 
Thanx Merlin.

See, when I bought the plant, the leaf had a tear and it progressively turned brown all around that area (basically it appeared to be drying out in that area), and with that heat wave I mentioned in another question, the tip of that leaf started to shrivel. The rest of the leaf appears to be ok. I will leave it alone unless you see otherwise after reading this. Thanx again, I find this forum extremely helpful. You guys ROCK!
 
If the lower portion of the leaf is fine below the tear, you can just cut the affected portion off as Merlin describes. That way you will not be removing healthy leaf that can contribute to photosynthesis.
Tony
 
Thank you Tony. I use a sterile blade as Merlin mentioned? Do I cut the leaf in a curved shape to mimic the original shape?
 
I use single edged razor blades when making any cuts. After I am done with a plant the razor gets tossed out so that I always use a new sterile blade. Sterilizing cutting tools is not a sure fire method of killing potential virus unless you take extreame measures.

You can cut the leaf however you feel it looks best. Most people just cut it to keep as much of the healthy tissue as possible. If you like the look of a slightly rounded tip and it doesn't remove too much healthy leaf, go for it. The edge will dry up a bit where it is cut regardless so it will never look ideal again.
Tony
 
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