Hi, all,

I currently have a number of my planst that have what looks like sooty black
mold on the leaves. It's not selective as to kind of orchids; it's on
different kinds. I have tried to clean the leaves by hand using cotton balls
and alcohol. The mold 'washes' off without too much effort. It occures on
the top and bottom sides of the leaves.

Can anyone recommend a deterent of some kind? (spray?)

Sooty mold is a fungus that grows on honeydew, a sugary excretion of
sucking insects and mites. Some of the most common are aphids, scale,
whitefly, mealybugs, leafhoppers and spider mites. If you deal with
that problem the mold will go away or it can be washed off with a mild
soap or detergent.
Often ants will be tending the insects and harvesting the honeydew so
they need to be controlled also.
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