Help for my BLC Please!!

[PhalPal]

Help! This is my first year with Catts of any type, but especially these big ones that I am growing outside. I know it is a little cold for them overnight and will not bloom for me this year (I had to try it) but I don't understand these markings and just plain poor health. This one is not always this exposed; I put it up on top of the shelves just for the picture. I don't think it is sunburn or frost damage and none of the spots are soft. The one bottom leaf pictured feels a little pitted. I don't see any insects or nibbles.

My knee-jerk reaction would be to re-pot, cut off the bad parts, spray it like crazy for bugs-fungus-bacteria and change location. What do you think?? Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

[Fishmom]

I have little experience with catts, but when I moved my only catt, a potinara, to its very sunny window, I got similar results on several older leaves. The newer leaves are now nice and yellow-green without dark spots or the dark-reddish tint that extends through the leaves. A fungicide certainly won't hurt it, but I'd consider excess light, even if you don't want to call it sunburn.

[FLBob]

It sure looks like sunburn to me, and I've burned my fair share of catts. This is a tough time of the year, the sun is getting strong fast. The higher temps and strong sun will dehydrate the leaves fast so days of lower humidity can quickly stress the plant. To deal with the lower humidity I spray down the concrete in my lanai.

[PhalPal]

My very first impression was possible sunburn, but the uppermost leaves are not brown? I guess I will have to reconsider reflection and changing angle of the sun. The two leaves that are discolored are very different as well, with the pitting on the bottom one. Still think it's sunburn?? If you say so, I'll believe you!

Come to think of it, we did have some unseasonably hot weather back in December when I was out of the state. My husband was given strick instructions NOT to move anything!! It could have gotten burned at that time.

I just want to make sure I don't overlook some disease process. I am really beginning to think that growing outdoors isn't worth it. Between bugs, sun, lack of sun, no humidity, cold nights and smoke from wildfires I think I will get some more T5's, then just move them outside when blooming only so we can enjoy them. That - or get more Cyms and forget the Catts.

[digitalgate]

heat burned possibly . Could be fungus also. so spray fungicides regularly.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by PhalPal

My knee-jerk reaction would be to re-pot, cut off the bad parts, spray it like crazy for bugs-fungus-bacteria and change location. What do you think?? Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

Your kneejerk reaction is exactly what I would do. I'd repot (in my experience catts are mostly tough and not sensitive to repotting though I have had a few sulk a bit if repotted out of season), remove only the worst leaves (the leaves only, not the whole pseudobulb), and treat with fungicide.

Your plant looks like some cattleyas here in Australia that are "grown rough." This usually means they're grown outside year round and are exposed to winter's cold and damp. This encourages various kinds of fungus to grow and damage leaves. If you can, I'd take the plant indoors when the temp dips below 55F or so.

[PhalPal]

Thanks everyone. I will assume the diagnosis is possible sunburn with a secondary fungal infection. I'll clean him up and re-pot. With summer coming I think I will leave him outside and away from my inside collection until I'm sure any possible fungal infection is gone.

I'm so glad you said 'CUT'! The surgeon part of me always wants to cut it out!

[benetay]

Since you grow it outside, i assume that it is very hardy as it batters with the environment. Maybe it's a good time to trim down the affected leaves and clean up the roots a little by removing those dead ones. Pot it up nicely after that & i'm sure it will be very happy. Perhaps even bloom for you after that!

Check the roots area and see if there are any bugs related to the yellowing of the leaves.

Hope it gets well soon!

Cheers!

[rodcuda]

It does look like burn and it looks like it is ready for a repot. It will respond very well to a repot right now.

[PhalPal]

Thanks everyone!! Repotting today; I will post a happier picture.

[NancyH]

HI PhalPal, I have many large Cats, also Blc's. Sunburn would create a leaf that would look more dired out and a bit crispy where the sun was hitting the leaf at it's most intense angle. Looks to me like some sort of virus or bacteria going on.If any part of the leaf is at all soft then it is not sunburn. I would cut off the leaf to the top of the pb and then put cinnamon on it. I would do it to every leaf that is affected. You may have to cut down further to get rid of all the black stuff. I wouild also re-pot it and clean up the roots, and give it a good fungalside/bacteria treatment. In time you will know if it is a nasty virus and you can't get rid of it. If you can, keep it separated from your other orchids just in case. A good cleaning and new medium should really help it. It likes a nice loose mix that will provide much air around the roots. Have fun and let us know. Nancy

[lissie0113]

i vote sunburn too. i have a catt that got a nasty sunburn on one leaf when i moved it to a south facing window. it looked just like that but was only on the one leaf closest to the hot window. good luck with the repot!

[PhalPal]

So, I pulled these babies out of their pots, cut off any burned or icky leaves, washed off the dried up sheaths and repotted. They don't look as bad as I thought they would and the roots were really nice. In fact, both have new growths. The Bc. Binosa 'Wabash Valley' (smaller leaves, first two pics) has a spike! They are in the sun just for the picture; with summer coming fast they won't be here for long. I'll post the picture when the Binosa blooms. I am so excited about this spike!!!

[E-Jag]

That's exactly what I'm thinking of doing with my catt - putting it in a wooden basket with bark. Looks terrific and you'll never have to repot it - just place that basket in a larger one someday. Sure glad to see your picture!

[solay]

They both are looking good. The baskets are the way to go. I'm thinking about putting all my Catts. in baskets too once I scrounge up enough money that I don't end up buying more orchids with.

[PhalPal]

I love potting in baskets; the roots just choose where they want to go. Cal West has the best prices on wooden baskets that I have seen anywhere. I'm lucky to be about 15 minutes away so I can pick them up, but for a few years I had them shipped. Check them out: http://www.calwesttropical.com/index...s/wood-baskets

[tansyflower]

I grow a lot of orchids (and other indoorish plants) in the garden, and to protect them from the sun I put them down amongst the ferns and such. However occasionally, usually when I cut a big leaf off a tree fern or we have a particularly hot day, just a certain part of the plant gets burnt (usually just the bit poking out in the sun).

The other thing it may have been is a chemical burn?? I've had a couple of plants develop odd patches, and ended up having to put it down to that (and you usually never figure out which chemical or when it happened).

Or nasty little garden sprites!!

[jerrymeola]

The fact that you say it is not usually this exposed makes me think you do not have
sunburn. The sun also is lower in the sky and the light levels are reduced.

Cold will cause the same damage as heat. Both kill the chlorophyll in the leaves.

The pattern I see on the leaves also makes me think it is Pythiun fungus that grew in a couple of hot humid days and then died when the temperature went under 50 degrees. Python fungus is rampant and deadly in the spring and early summer when it flourishes in the heat. It can grow with only a couple of hot humid days during the winter. The return of cold then kills the fungus leaving these marks. The larger black mark on the top leaf is very typical of the fungus. In the spring the continued hot days will spread the disease.

Sunburn or even cold burn would normally concentrate in the area where the heat/or cold builds up. The fungus is less discriminate and spreads anywhere. In the third photo sunburn would be across the entire leaf since it appears to have been flat. All surfaces of the leaf looked to have been exposed to the same sun.

If you can remember when it happened you might have noticed it to be soft and wet the first day and then dry and hard.

The care you gave it is correct for all the possibilities.

[hulaorchid]

PhalPal it looks much Happier!! Good luck on your spikes!
It's going to be a hot summer in So Cal!