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Leaf damage ID help pleaser
I realize I am a amateur but....
The plant is in good condition and had just finished dropping its last flower about 3 weeks before . It has new growth appearing at the base and appears to be healthy except for the one leaf. This one leaf was closest to the windows, and was removed from the plant ( I have learned a few things!). I am mainly curious if anyone else had seen something similar. I was fairly sure it was the insecticidal soap burning it just as water drops do on a car's paint, BUT I could have been wrong and may have the Orchid version of a Ebola Virus. I regularly see rings like this on other plants (mainly trees and shrubbery)around here from insect damage. I did not know if orchids had similar problems. The plants (yes, all of them) were sprayed because of a spider mite infestation on a cattleya. Repeated hosing of the plants while watering them was keeping the infestation down but not stopping it. After it spread to two more plants, I decided to take other measures. I do have two good orchid societies here. Greater North Texas orchid society ( http://www.gntos.org/ )and Forth Worth Orchid society http://www.fworchidsociety.com/. Unfortunately for me , there meeting places are over 30 miles from me, and commitments with my children makes it impossible for me to go to their meetings. I hate that as one of them actually has a very good County Extension agent who raises and sells orchids (http://www.dandborchids.com/) The children have almost lost out on that one, but they must always come first (the human children that is)! I do check them carefully before buying. I apply the same rules as I do for my garden plants. Is the planting medium in good shape? Does the medium smell rotten or clean and fresh? Are the leaves a healthy consistent green? no insect damage? yellow mottling? Fungal spot? Do the pseudobulbs look healthy? Any new growth / roots? Do the flowers look healthy and not wilted? Are the flower colors consistent between blooms? That may not be the perfect formula for buying, but it has worked good so far. The box stores definitely do not handle them well and I have taken many to the manger and pointed out the issues with not only orchids , but other plants in the tropical area. On the other hands, get there soon after arrival, and they do not have long to do any damage! "Nancy G." wrote in message oups.com... Bruce Musgrove wrote: I spotted this on one of my orchids while watering them and was wondering what it was. First, it is a dead leaf. No seriously, cut it off as close to the plant as you can. If it is infecting the plant you want to remove it with a quickness to keep it from the heart of the plant. A small pin hole or crack in the leaf can absorb and transport the chemical treatment. It looked as if the plant tried to seal off the damaged area, but failed. If it (the plant) perceives it as a threat, it will abort the entire leaf. How long have you had this orchid? If it was a recent acquisition there may have been some physical damage that you were unaware. Plants from department stores and resellers get handled a lot, often by people that don't know or care. Could this be a burn mark from water sitting on the leaf in the sun? Probably. When the leaves fall in my area, it changes the light intensity through the sunny windows. A drop of water, in this case oil from the soap will scald the leaves because it acts like a lens and concentrates the light more. When the water evaporates it will leave a drop of the pure soap. It will also conduct heat and cold more. I did spray with Safer brand inseciticidal soap last week at the end of the day. Maybe I put it back in the window to soon? Why? Did you have an infestation? If so what was the pest? You really have to watch oil based products when spraying. Some products shouldn't be used on orchids at all, or used at a reduced concentration. Even pure neem recommends a balance of detergent in the mix to keep the oil in solution. Keep it stirred or shake the sprayer to prevent it from separating. Don't spray all the way to the bottom of the bottle. If it separates, there is too high a concentration at the bottom of the sprayer. That applies to poorly dissolved plant food that settles. I looked in the Ortho books and could not find anything similar. Ortho is selling chemicals. They won't show damage caused by improper use. Not to say you didn't follow the instructions and have good intentions, just that their products may not be tested on or recommended for orchids, maybe that particular orchid was more sensitive than your others, or the concentration changed as you sprayed. Honestly, if you can find an orchid society in your area, you may want to do so. They can be a lot of fun and an amazing source of information. Keep in mind, they aren't A.A. They are enablers, everyone will have something different, and you will want more for yourself. If the members can agree on an order, the group discounts from growers' catalogs can be a benefit plus the larger the order the more balanced the cost of shipping. Orchids at box stores get handled a lot. They are packed, shipped, distributed, shipped again. Unpacked and put on shelves with other tropicals or outside in garden departments. Employees and customers handle them. They may be inappropriately potted and incorrectly watered. The staff may or may not be knowledgeable, more than likely not. You have to look at the plant carefully, not just the blooms. It may take years for a Catt, Onc, or Den to "outgrow" the damage. Phals, because of their monopodial growth may NEVER recover. However most of the purchases are impulse. Why did you buy it, "Because it was there, pretty, and I had $15, or it was marked down because the blooms had faded, the plant looked healthy, and I have time." Been there, done that, and sometimes still do it. Everyone starts someplace. Best wishes, Happy growing |
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