zygopetalum needs help and phals' pest

[Vasso]

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year with more colors in our lives!!!
First, I want to show you my zygopetalum, so that you can help me. I have had it for 2 years. It was blooming when I got it but hasn't bloomed since. It keeps producing new growths (see the photo because I don't know what they are called) but never a spike. I also think that I have to re-pot it because it is not firm in the pot (although she has roots and new roots are coming out on the top).
Finally, I've attached a photo of my phalenopsis, which is being attacked by...mites? I don't know. It produces new leaves and roots and is ready to give a new spike, but it is being eaten!
I hope the photos were attached properly.
Happy New Year to all, and thank you in advance for any help,
Vaso

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I don't grow Zygopetalums, so I can't comment on their culture. But it seems clear to me that you have not quite been getting it right as the latest bulbs are very undersized. Until the new growths make enough progress to build back up to near the size of the oldest bulbs, don't expect flowers. If you are considering repotting, I would recommend going to a finer orchid bark. It may be that the plant has been kept too dry on the average because the mix is too course. I hope we have some others chime in with the exact culture for Zigos, so we can get a better idea what is causing the down hill spiral of growth size.

Can I assume that what we see on the Phal leaf are depressions where something has been eating? You might want to check in the mix, pull out the rootball for inspection, to see if there are some very tiny snails in there. If so, it could also be part of the problem with the Zygo too. The snails I am suspicious of are about an 1/8 of an inch accross, and usually live in the mix munching on roots, and are called bush snails. Let us know what you find.

[Vasso]

Thank you Cynthia,
I probably underwater the zygo because I'm afraid of fungus! If you check on some big leaves there were fungus marks and I had to chop them. There were more growths, but they never made it...? I hope these new one will grow properly. Should i try to increase the humidity?
About the phal., I cannot check their mix because i'm not in Greece now, but last time i watered them i found a slug-snail. I'm in Usa now and i would like to get anything that could make the snails go away and fine orchid bark. What else would you propose me to try and get home? I have a fertilizer (high nitrogen). How often do phals bloom?
Thank you very much,
Happy New Year!!!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

When you get back, soak the pot in a container of water with the water coming up to the top of the bark. Overnight would be fine. Look to see what comes up to the top. This method alone, especially if repeated once in a while, may be enough to get rid of any beasties. I under stand caffine (left over coffee) can kill snails/slug. Some of the newer baits work, but don't waste your time with metaldyhyde products, they don't work. A very heavy dousing with diatomaceous earth (DE) from either a pool supply or feedstore sometimes works (be careful not to breath the stuff), but one can't tell ahead of time which source's DE will be effective, so leave this till last. If you are growing outside, and the source is likely to be the environment in which the plant is growing, go ahead and use some DE freely all around the area to act as a barrier and redo it once every month or two.

If you use a fine mix, bush snails will not be able to get into the mix. So, if you do finds them, and want to move more plants into a fine mix, you need to be very careful of your watering, since less air in the mix will mean slow drying and a longer time between watering.

I just checked out a culture sheet for one of the Zygos, http://www.orchidculture.com/COD/FREE/FS250.html .
It looks like this plant should not dry out completely, and should be wetter during the growing season, and nearly dry out during winter. You may want to read this if you haven't already: Skewer use for watering of orchids
I notice in the sheet, that this Zygo is a fairly cool growing plant, probably sufficiently cooler than the Phal, that you might want to place them in different environments.

I would not worry about humidity.

I would not generally cut off any part of the leaves just because of fungal spots. They are more eyesore than anything else. They are generally a result of bad culture like letting the plant get too cold for its type, or letting it have wet leaves when the temperature starts to fall. Cutting off parts of a plant are generally reserved for bacterial rots. If the discolored area is soft, mushy, wet looking, has a clear quality as though you can see into the depth of the tissue a little, these are signs of rot, and cutting is necessary. But black spots, typically a little sunken, unless they are spreading rapidly, and I mean really rapidly, are of no concern, so don't cut off the leaves, unless there is so much leaf involved that there is little green leaf left to be of value to the plant.

This is the bloom season for Phals now, but still a general purpose fertilizer is better than a high bloom. High light, cooler temp, to 55F (13C), short day length, and maybe letting the plant get a little dryer are the triggers for blooming. Soon as a spike is seen starting, return the plant to its usual conditions.

[Vasso]

Happy New Year!!!
Thank you very much for your help. So, the white dots on phal's leaves are caused by slungs. Should i buy neem oil to bring home with me and some more fertilizers? Would the best solution for the potting mix be a fine bark mix that i would buy or should i make it?? Sorry, for asking so many things, but these are stuff that i cannot get home unless i ask to be shipped to me.Thank you in advance.
Have a nice day,
Vaso

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think it would be a good idea to bring home some fine bark, some neem oil concentrate (not the ready mix), some Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub, probably a large contaner of Physan 20, and if you can afford it, some Phyton 27. The Physan 20 is for general sanitation, and the Phyton 27 is a systemic fungicide and bacteriocide. The Phyton is too expensive to use regularly. But when you have a bacterial infection running thru a plant that is about to kill it, this is about the only thing that will stop it, provided you also cut away the rotted portions.

[Vasso]

Goodmorning Cynthia,
I'm back home and i checked the zygopetalum. I didn't find anything in the pot, except of rotten roots. I cut all the roten parts, and there are left only two big roots. But there are many many new one, but the leaves are in very bad state. They are getting brown like burnt. The small new growths are even more but they seem to get brown parts too. I also found small grey spider (should i use the neem oil?).
So, i cut the rotten roots and i reppoted the plant. i tried to cover most of the new roots, is that correct?
I don't know if it will make it, because the leaves are dying, but it's creating new roots.
Thank you again for your help,
I would appreciate any opion that you may have,
Vaso

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Hi Vaso. You have done about all there is to do. If there is a shortage of roots, covering the plant with a clear plastic baggy left open a bit would help to keep up the local humidity and slow down water loss from the plants leaves. There is one more possibility with your plant. It may have a virus. This disease will often cause black spots on orchids that tend to run along the veins of the leaves. If this were the case, there is nothing that can be done for the plant. I hope you are using proper techniques for sterilizing tools between cutting different plants. If all your improvements of culture do not cause the plant to do better, then I would think that virus is likely.

[Ellen]

Here's my two cents worth. Zygopetalums are notorious for getting black spots on the leaves (not virus-related) so it's best to just live with them. Having good air circulation helps prevent black spots on the leaves, so if you have a fan it would probably be useful to put the plant where the fan blows on it. In Greece, you could probably keep the plant outside much of the year if you have a place to do that. Regarding the plant's current condition, maybe you cut too much of the leaves off and the plant was weakened because there wasn't enough green left to photosynthesize. I have a few zygos, and grow them in fine bark so that they can stay moist, so this is what I recommend for a potting medium. If your plant is growing new roots, it should be fine. Just leave it alone and see if it recovers.

[jerrymeola]

Your Zygo is probably growing in an area that is too warm. These are cool weather plants. Here in SW Florida they are a constant fight. Mine usually look just like yous after a couple of years (although they do re-bloom for me).

A cooler spot with good air circulation will help, as well as developing a love for orchids that are more appropriate for you conditions.

[Vasso]

Thank you all for our help!
I'm still waiting and hoping the best for my zygo.
I'll let you know if something new happens.
Vasso

[Irrincric]

Cool, good job, i like you site.
i am wishing you a new clients and be happy with your further projects.
Mark (ex-golden boy:-))