Temperatures in the 50's is no problem for most orchids. As a matter of
fact, it'll help your phals initiate spikes.

As to point 2 - you think it's a bacterial/viral infection, but plan on
using a fungicide and/or insecticide? Apply what's appropriate.

Chances are it's either bacterial or fungal in nature anyway, so Funginex
might be a good start, anyway. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably start
with a cinnamon/alcohol spray to kill both bacteria and fungi, repeating
every few days for three or four treatments.
--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"dd" wrote in message
...
The nights are getting cooler in New England, and I'm going to bring in
some phals, dendrobiums, and oncidiums that have been summering
outside. If anyone could answer the following questions, I'd be
grateful.

1. One night, we had an overnight temperature of 52 degrees. This seems
too cold to me, and seems like a clue to bring in the orchids real
soon. At the moment, they're still outside and looking healthy,
but...How cold is too cold to you? (My orchids are huddled up against
the east side of the house, so they are somewhat protected from the
elements.)

2. An oncidium looks like it has a problem with a bacterial/virus type
infection, and I need to spray it with funginex. A couple of the phals
have scale and what appears to be a bacterial infection (pitted leaves
that look like those that were recently posted). I read (somewhere)
that one shouldn't dose an orchid with both a pesticide and fungicide
at the same time. Ok, if I want to use both treatments, how long should
I wait between the two treatments? Until one dries? A day? A week?

Thanks for any input.