Hard white spots on baby phals leaves

[mantorp]

Hello All, a friend gave me two little phals she got from keikis on her phal. I just noticed today they both have small hard white bumps all over the leaves, tops and bottoms. They stick up a little above the surface of the leaf but they are also embedded (because I tried to get one off with my nail and made a hole in the leaf).

Any ideas? I searched the pest forum but there's mostly stuff on black spots.

Thanks

[bkim]

Sounds like white scale insects. Pictures would help confirm but I'm almost positive that is scale. Fairly easy to deal with compared to other pests.

[mantorp]

but it looks like I have to post a few more times

[patticake]

It sure does sound like scale, But the pics. would help! In the mean time, If you use a Q-Tip dipped in rubbing alcohol, you can usually remove them that way without much damage.

[Rocinante]

Post a couple more times, so we can look at it. Sounds like scale, but we need to see in order to accurately diagnose. Also, quarrantine your plant from others, just in case!

[fred]

mantorp to the forum
can you please go to your UserCP at the top left of the page and click usercp and a menu will drop and click Profile scroll down to Location and fill your Location in as that will help us to understand your growing conditions and also with giving you the right advice.

[berkeleysgr8]

Sounds like scale to me too. Photos are needed to diagnose. If you need to post more, just add multiple posts to this thread!

[mantorp]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Post a couple more times, so we can look at it. Sounds like scale, but we need to see in order to accurately diagnose. Also, quarrantine your plant from others, just in case!

I'll get some pics up later today, but how far away should I quarantine them? Separate shelf, different room, different house, state .

I'm in Charlotte, NC and these live in my east facing office which has had the AC on the last few days because it's brutally hot out.

[Rocinante]

Separate shelf will be sufficient.

[mantorp]

a few of the spots, and what it looks like after I picked one off.

Thanks

[Ron]

Hi Mantorp.
To me it looks like one of the helmet types of scale, I would try using a cotton tips (?) stick that people use for cleaning their ears with.
It has a small bundle of cotton on each end.
I just dip it into metho and give it a wipe.
Ususally a few swipes will wipe it off clean without daming the leaf tsurface.
But why it pulled out the fleshy surface tissue makes it more interesting at what type off scale (?) it is.
The plant looks very healthy and does not seem to have an outbreak of these liitle pests on it.

My penny worth.

Cheerio
Ron

[berkeleysgr8]

As Ron suggested, try a little rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip. Rub it over each of the spots to see if they will dislodge. They do look like some kind of scale... but it doesn't look really badly infested. Definitely keep an eye on your other plants for similar spots!

[articuno75]

I don't think it's an infestation or scale, but callus due to something being on the plant. My plant has a couple of spots on it and it's not scale and looks just like what you got. I too thought that it might have been something and sprayed pesticide and everything on it and the bumps are still there.

Come to find out that if there is something rubbing on the leaf or creating an abrasion of some sort, the plant will protect itself by creating "calluses". My plant has them on the edges of a couple of leaves that are rubbing against the pot and a couple of spots from where another plant was rubbing the leaf. No biggy, just unsightly.

[mantorp]

I did a little alcohol rubbing on there and it didn't seem to remove anything so hopefully it's not an insect infestation. Will keep you posted and ask for more advice if I'm wrong and it starts to spread.
I have another orchid that hasn't bloomed as long as I've had it, I know it's near impossible to id these things but can anyone tell me which family it belongs to based on the leaves?

[kid a]

It looks like a dendrobium. Good luck with you phal leaves.

[mantorp]

Thanks for all your help. Also not that it's on topic, but how often should I water these little babies? I've been putting water in the trays below the pots daily and by night it's usually evaporated. Then I have also watered them from the top weekly, but today I noticed green mold growing outside of the clay pots. Should I just water less and hope the mold goes away or do I need to remove the plants clean the pots in bleach and start over? Thanks again for all your help.

[bkim]

Everyone has a different watering strategy depending on their growing location and where they live. If the plant is happy, growing, and not rotting, then that's all that matters. Sounds like you're doing a good job so far. "Green mold" sounds more like algae to me but I could be wrong. Starting over can put undue stress on the plant. Algae and mold can both be treated without much harm to the plant. Physan 20 is a great treatment and preventative for a wide variety of plant issues (except insects).