orchid spotting

[Dane]

Hi i bought this oncidium twinke about 5 months ago. It was spot free. Any idea what caused the spotting on my oncidium twinkle, and any idea what it is It looks as if it is also starting on the new shoots

[RebelCowgirl]

Wow too much sun maybe, they don't like high light levels. Where do you keep it at?

[Dane]

It was in a window with 60% green shade cloth. We have just had a rainy season. I have a suspition of a virus, but im unsure.

[RebelCowgirl]

Hummmm intersting, I have no experience with virus's maybe someone will be along that can help you.

[Cym Ladye]

That is not just "spots", that is serious meltdown! You need to research and read all you can on the care of Oncidiums: temperature, light, water, humidity, fertilizer, potting mix, etc. and then see what you are doing wrong. You have more than one problem affecting your plant here.

CL

[sunshine]

I think your Twinkle got just a tad too much sun and heat. Oncidium have very thin leaves and sunburn very easily. I keep mine in bright,indirect light with my paphs and phals. If it were mine I would cut off all the damaged leaves and dead spikes and check out the roots and repot.

Oncidium & Odontoglossum Orchid Care - Carter and Holmes Orchids Culture

[Dane]

I think the potting mix id incorrect, its coco husks. Its medium looks quite old so i think i should repot it and give it a fresher medium.

[RebelCowgirl]

I have mine in coco husk, I keep it in my tent and I put it a little to close to the light and a few of its leaves turned almost white. They are very delicate.

[Dane]

so is coco husk the right medium for them or can i use bark with spag mixed

[RebelCowgirl]

Originally Posted by Dane

so is coco husk the right medium for them or can i use bark with spag mixed

When I got mine it was in bark, but I don't have very much luck with bark so I changed it to coco husk. If you put it in bark I would choose fine bark like a seedling mix, mixing in some spag would work also

[Dane]

I am the opposite my orchids hate coco i don't know if i over water but the bark i am able to keep moist.

[Ray]

I think you may be dealing with a massive fungal infestation.

If it was sunburn, you would just have the beige, parchment-like patches. Those seem to have begun with a spot of infection, then spread - see the second and fourth images.

In addition to getting your overall culture right, I would recommend treating the plants and growing area with a topical disinfectant, and keeping water off of the leaves.

[Dane]

Would i need to spray it with anything: Previcure or Physan

[FLBob]

When I look at the photos the first question that comes to mind is "what's in the water?"
It appears that the leaves started to fail from the leaf tips. Accumulation of salts in the medium would explain this. It would also explain the spots. If the medium is old replace it and flush the plant with distilled, R/O, or rain water.

AOS article on salt damage

[terra_australis]

Looks fungal, at laest the black spots anyway... Is that moss growing on the media? If so, it would suggest to me that it is staying too damp.

[Dane]

I only water with rain water from a water tank, all my other orchids seem fine. I think i should replace the medium, it does not look great. I noticed this afternoon that the spotted leaves are falling off. The new shoots have square blocks if im correct, don't know if its from sunburn. will post new pictures soon!

[Dane]

When i bought it, it had the moss growing in it. I water every day and by the time i get home they are all dry!

[Dane]

I sprayed it with previcure incase the new shoots turn out the same!

[RebelCowgirl]

You have to be careful with coconut husk because it gets really dry on top but stays moist in the middle, I only water mine maybe once a week.

[RebelCowgirl]

Did you pull it out and look at the roots?

[vegan]

It also happen with my orchid.. I dont know what to do..
Some frienf told me that it was fungus..

[Satine]

Hello. I'm new and have been trying for weeks to log on and finally got in to be able to post... am desperate because I have 2 phals and 1 hornet, and 1 of my phals is whilting and I've given it a sugar bath already and it did nothing, and the other one has holes and I've looked through it and do not see snails or any pests. All of my orchids live indoors... please help (pics attached).

[Dane]

It looks like a bit of sunburn, try give the plant less light.

[terra_australis]

Originally Posted by Satine

Hello. I'm new and have been trying for weeks to log on and finally got in to be able to post... am desperate because I have 2 phals and 1 hornet, and 1 of my phals is whilting and I've given it a sugar bath already and it did nothing, and the other one has holes and I've looked through it and do not see snails or any pests. All of my orchids live indoors... please help (pics attached).

Satine, I think you will get more response if you post a new thread about this. In any case the holes in the leaves look like mechanical damage to me. I don't see any advancing necrosis so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Wilting or shrivelling usually indicates either not enough water or a damaged root system that is unable to take up enough water. I would firstly check the roots to see what condition they are in and replace the potting media if necessary.

[Satine]

Thanks everyone so far - I will also repost as new thread per above request, just to get further input... I took a picture of the roots for the 2nd orchid with whilting leaves while giving it a sugar bath - see attached... to me they looked okay, but I don't normally grow orchids. I normally grow indoor Plumeria (Frangipangi) and Birds of Paradise under growlights in Wisconsin and actually have been successful, though I've had every pest at one time or another (evil grin, and DEFEATED THEM ALL)... for 7 years straight now... but these orchids aren't doing so hot... after they lost their flowers, I cut them back just below where they flowered and now I've got holes in one, and the other leaves are really drab...

...actually, I also have a Green Hornet... I've taken that away from the sun entirely... it's alive too and not doing so well... the last time I had an orchid at all it did great, but it was at a different apartment, and light and humidity was also entirely different. ack.