Leaf pitting on my phal - help!

[Orville's Mom]

I have a phal that has developed pitting on the upperside of the leaf. the lower side has a reddish brown coating - anyone know what this is and what I can do about it? The worst affected leaves are the two youngest mature leaves. One of them began yellowing - I cut off hte yellow part and it slowly spread so I cut off the rest of the leaf. I've been spraying with bioneem - neem oil & insecticidal soap figuring if it's a bug that'll kill it; also neem is anti-fungal so I thought that might help if it's a disease. thanks for any light you can shed.

[janet_a]

sounds bad; go weekly with the neem and keep it out of direct sun and see what happens. (i swear by neem myself-- i use it on everything.)

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Try rubbing the underside of the leaf with a white tissue or cloth. If it comes away rust colored, it is red mites, and the neem is the product to use. You should spray all plants nearby, as this is never restricted to just one plant. A really bad case will take 2 or 3 sprayings a week or so apart, and be very thorough with the spray job. Cynthia