Unknown Cattleya disease--need help identifying

[Lissbirds]

Hello all,

I need a little help identifying this ailment. This cattleya is usually healthy. It spent the summer outside. I took it in a few weeks ago and noticed one older leaf was yellow. I didn't think too much about it (I thought maybe it got too much sun), but now more leaves are yellowing. There's also a little reddish mark on a newer pseudobulb which you can see in one photo.

Does anyone know what this is and how to treat it?

Thanks!

--Melissa

[digitalgate]

Your plant has fungus problem, u might want to spray some fungicides before u bring into your place fir winter.

[orchidaddict789]

Yeah, better cut off those yellowed leaves, but leave the pbulb if the black hasn't spread there yet. They're going to drop soon anyways. Also, cut off any part affected with the black spotting. Be sure to cut using a sterilized blade, and cut slightly into good tissue.

[Lissbirds]

Thank you! Will sprinkling cinnamon on the cut help?

I'm looking at my other plants more carefully now and I realized I have a potinara and another cat that each have one medium brownish circle in the middle of a leaf. Do you think it spread? If so, should I cut the diseased part of those leaves off, too? (The potinara is in bloom now so I'm hesitant to do anything with it.)

[orchidaddict789]

Yeah, sprinkling cinnamon on the cut is a good idea.

Is the brownish circle mushy/wet to the touch? If so, then it's soft rot, often caused by erwinia. If the circle is dry, then I wouldn't do anything unless it spreads, though in my experience, dry brown patches usually don't spread because they're healed, kind of like scars. Are your catts in full sun? If so, it could be sunburn, which will either 1) heal and be OK, or 2) develop a secondary fungal infection and spread. I hope your catts will be OK!

[Lissbirds]

I just checked--the brownish circles are dry and kind of "crispy" feeling. They were out in the sun all summer, so your diagnosis of sunburn sounds like that's what it is. I'll keep an eye out on them and hopefully they won't start rotting.

I feel SO bad for cutting off so much of this infected catt. One of the leaves was pretty good and had a fairly big brownish spot in it that was dry not mushy and I already cut off about 3/4 of the leaf. Now I'm wondering if I should've kept it. Argh! I'm so worried about this plant. It's a Blc. Young Kong Sun and its flowers are gorgeous. It's even got a sheath forming. Hopefully it will pull through...*fingers crossed*

Thank you so much for your help!

[orchidaddict789]

Aww I know the feeling. Once I got a catt that I wanted for so long, and it was so beautiful when it arrived with lush green leaves. Then suddenly it developed a fungal disease similar to yours and I had to cut off leaf after leaf. Even the fungicide didn't really stop it, even though it worked for my previous cases. IMO, I think it's better to cut a little more than a little less. I think you're plant will pull through--it's got nice bulbs and a few good leaves.

[Lissbirds]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

I don't have any fungicide (I've never had a fungus problem in all these years!), so I hope cinnamon will do the job.

[plucker]

fugacides are cheap and very effective - good to use for these problems.

[dounoharm]

break down and buy a fungicide....