Help

[sgoett]

My Orchid has scale so I cleaned it with a diluted mixture of mild dish soap and water. Now the leaves are turning black. Have I lost the orchid? Should I cut the leaves Off? I just don't know what to do.
Need help!! Please
Thanks,
Sandra

[brookn]

Hi! and welcome. Can you tell me more about your orchid? Such as....
What is it Phal, Dend...?
What it's potted in?
How are you watering?
We have similar conditions for growing, so I can probably give you some decent advice. Also if you post a couple more times, you can put up a pic of it, and that would be really helpful. Thanks!

[jerrymeola]

Leaves that turn black are not a normal result of scale.

You probably have two problems.

[sgoett]

Originally Posted by brookn

Hi! and welcome. Can you tell me more about your orchid? Such as....
What is it Phal, Dend...?
What it's potted in?
How are you watering?
We have similar conditions for growing, so I can probably give you some decent advice. Also if you post a couple more times, you can put up a pic of it, and that would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hi. My Orchid is a Cattleya. It is potted in Sphaghum Moss and I water it every 8 to 10 days. The leaves didn't turn until I cleaned them. I'll try to send you a picture either tonight or tomorrow.
Many Thanks,
Sandra

[brookn]

Sounds like water left on the leaves could have been magnified by light, burning the leaves. We can tell more with a pic.

[solay]

Are the blackened areas soft? Is it coming from the bottom of the leaves or the tips? I had one Catt. that had dark black mushy areas spreading from the stems up into the leaves causing the leaves to drop. I ended up throwing the whole plant out. I hope that's not what you have.

[patticake]

If the dish detergent was left in the moss, that could be a problem. Cattleyas don't really like sphagnum moss, and if it held the detergent around the roots, that might not have been a good thing. I'm just taking a stab, here. I hope things work out for you.