Hi,

I have had a miltonia for a while now, and I have recently been having
problems with it now. The leaf tips are turning brown (in two different
ways, pls see pictures) and odd horizontal tears are appearing in the
leaves, sometimes breaking pieces of the leaf completely off. There are
also some deformed leaves and some droopy, limp leaves.


The dracula cordobae seems to be having some problems as well (this is
a very new plant). I have posted pictures.

The 1st 6 are miltonia, the 2nd 8 are the dracula.

Any thoughts??

http://homepage.mac.com/sarahsbs/PhotoAlbum1.html

On 23 May 2006 19:02:22 -0700, wrote:

Hi,

I have had a miltonia for a while now, and I have recently been having
problems with it now. The leaf tips are turning brown (in two different
ways, pls see pictures) and odd horizontal tears are appearing in the
leaves, sometimes breaking pieces of the leaf completely off. There are
also some deformed leaves and some droopy, limp leaves.


The dracula cordobae seems to be having some problems as well (this is
a very new plant). I have posted pictures.

The 1st 6 are miltonia, the 2nd 8 are the dracula.

Any thoughts??

http://homepage.mac.com/sarahsbs/PhotoAlbum1.html

'
The bends in the leaves suggest it is not getting enough water into
the leaves to fully unfurl them. Have you checked the roots? Has it
been repotted lately?
Some of the breaks such as down the mid rib of the leaf also suggest a
shortage of usable water. It takes considerable hydrostatic pressure
to push that leaf up just as it takes pressure to open a flower fully.
If you have bad mix or old mix or bad roots the water you are giving
the plant is not making it to the leaves.

If you have over watered in the past you may have rotten roots.
Start your detecting at the root level.

Good luck.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

Hi s.catt

I would say that there is not too much wrong with your Miltonia. The
crinkles are caused by low humidity as the leaf emerges and drags
against the other leaves. Be happy.

The Dracula is another matter altogether. You picture marked
'dracula.mottled leaves top.JPG' looks to me like virus problems!!! Bad
news!!

But there is more!!(Bad news that is)

You picture marked 'dracula mottled leaves underside.JPG' appeares to
be the result of spider mite. (Sorry about that)

Cure.... For the Dracula....the bin. For the Miltonia... make sure that
it has not been in touch with the Drac. If it has, get some wettable
sulphur (powder form) and mix with water. You can paint, spray or use a
cloth dipped in the sulphur to wipe the leaves. I use the later method
and guarantee that it works.

The best way to see spider mites is with a 10 or preferably 15X glass,
otherwise, you are only guessing. The damage caused by them is just
like your pic called 'mottled leaves, underside'.

Anyway, get that Drac the hell out of there.

Hope this helps

Tony

thanks so much. I am so sad about this dracula! i literally purchased
it a week and a half ago (albeit mail-order). Do you know anything
about the miltonia/drac. leaf cuts? They are very odd... almost as if
someone snipped them with scissors...

I don't pretend to be an expert on this, but if it is spider mites (and by
the look of it, it could be), it is treatable. You can mix 2 TB. vegetable
oil and 2 TB mild liquid soap (not the degreasing type) with a gallon of
water and spray, especially the undersides of the leaves. Repeat as needed.
Do you see any webs at all?

Diana

The major problem with the Drac is the virus. That is not treatable!!

As to the cuts, you may be right and they have been cut with scissors.
Some folk do strange things to orchids.

Tony

I don't think the 'cuts' are cuts. I think they are handling damage where
the leaf was bent. At least one was cut but probably because of damage to
the leaf. Scars can occur falling or tipping over also.

Mites can be detected by slightly dampening a white tissue or paper towel
and rubbing it on the suspected surface. If it comes off reddish or brownish
its got mites. Follow Diana's directions to get rid of them.

Bob

"emntee" wrote in message
ps.com...
The major problem with the Drac is the virus. That is not treatable!!

As to the cuts, you may be right and they have been cut with scissors.
Some folk do strange things to orchids.

Tony

any way to test for the virus, since that seems to be the make or break
factor here?

sarah

Sarah, Google Critter Creek Labs. They do testing, and it's not very costly.
Your local Ag station might be able to help, too.

Diana

"sarahsbs" wrote in message
oups.com...
any way to test for the virus, since that seems to be the make or break
factor here?

sarah

On Thu, 25 May 2006 13:51:26 -0400, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote:

Sarah, Google Critter Creek Labs. They do testing, and it's not very costly.
Your local Ag station might be able to help, too.

Diana

"sarahsbs" wrote in message
roups.com...
any way to test for the virus, since that seems to be the make or break
factor here?

sarah

Our Local Ag University has an Extension agent that tests for Virus.
Some one said it was $10 a pop. Check for county extension agency
attached to any of the agracultural colleges across the country. I
hear that some do and some do not do that testing.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

thanks for the advice. What is Google Critter Creek Lab? I couldn't
find any references online. Also (and this may be a painfully amateur
question), what is an Ag station?
Finally, assuming it is a virus, how are they transmitted btw plants?
Does contact need to be involved or is proximity enough?

Thanks again

sarah

Hi Sarah

Diana meant for you to search for "Critter Creek Labs" using the Google
search engine http://www.google.com.au/ This is a common Internet
expression now.... "to Google".

"Ag Station" refers to your local agricultural weather station usually run
by your Weather Bureau/Department of Meteorology.

Virus transmission is usually caused via a vector most often humans who
don't sterilise equipment but can also be caused by insects. Close
proximity or plants touching in itself won't transmit virus. Some degree of
trauma to both an infected plant and a non infected plants is required for
the virus to transmit e.g. by insect bites or human pruning, be it of roots,
leaves or flowers stems.

Cheers

John


"sarahsbs" wrote in message
ups.com...
thanks for the advice. What is Google Critter Creek Lab? I couldn't
find any references online. Also (and this may be a painfully amateur
question), what is an Ag station?
Finally, assuming it is a virus, how are they transmitted btw plants?
Does contact need to be involved or is proximity enough?

Thanks again

sarah

Most of us don't use the Australian address for Google :-)

Ag Station is a local (usually at the county level) agricultural Extension
Agent, so named because the program is an extension of the state's
agricultural college(s), UGA in our case.

-danny

"John Varigos" wrote in message
om...
Hi Sarah

Diana meant for you to search for "Critter Creek Labs" using the Google
search engine http://www.google.com.au/ This is a common Internet
expression now.... "to Google".

"Ag Station" refers to your local agricultural weather station usually run
by your Weather Bureau/Department of Meteorology.

Virus transmission is usually caused via a vector most often humans who
don't sterilise equipment but can also be caused by insects. Close
proximity or plants touching in itself won't transmit virus. Some degree
of trauma to both an infected plant and a non infected plants is required
for the virus to transmit e.g. by insect bites or human pruning, be it of
roots, leaves or flowers stems.

Cheers

John


"sarahsbs" wrote in message
ups.com...
thanks for the advice. What is Google Critter Creek Lab? I couldn't
find any references online. Also (and this may be a painfully amateur
question), what is an Ag station?
Finally, assuming it is a virus, how are they transmitted btw plants?
Does contact need to be involved or is proximity enough?

Thanks again

sarah

I just looked at the pictures for the first time, and I wouldn't assume that
plant is virused.
-danny

On Fri, 26 May 2006 11:50:30 -0400, "danny" wrote:

I just looked at the pictures for the first time, and I wouldn't assume that
plant is virused.
-danny


Thanks for the definition. I also don't find virus. I would suspect
the mites.


SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php