Please help me with my Phalaenopsis

[Debra Campbell]

Hello,
I need help with my phalaenopsis, it is sick and afraid that it will get the rest of my orchids sick.
It is now spiking two new spikes plus flowering also, not sure what to do with it. Can anyone tell me if this is a virus and what I should do with it? Thank you so much for your time. Have a Great Day!

Thank you,
Debra Campbell

[digitalgate]

did you put your plant out door and it got rain on? the dot seem to come from
bacteria infection. The centre seem to insect or animal. anyone any idea?

[mayres]

Did you do anything different with this plant right before it happened? It looks like a big healthy plant that maybe you have had for a long time? Did you move it to a different location? Did you spray anything on the leaves? Since I have never seen this on my phals I am searching for a clue - hope you figure this out......mike

[jbigio]

It looks to me as if it may have both a issue with either sunburn or chemical burn with a secondary bacterial infection ( the black spots) If the plant had wet leave and the sun hit them for awhile or you tried a new spray that could cause it. The Bacterial infection I would believe is a secondary infection caused by the first problem. If this was my plant I would remove the worst of the leaves and spray the plant with Physan 20 and keep it away from the rest of the plants for a few weeks to be safe.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Not virus. Looks like cold burn. I just did that to a Phal belina, and was quite surprised, as the plant was only in distant range of a little breeze or near a slightly cold window, but the violaceas are very warm growers. I think this one may or may not survives because of the cooler greenhouse conditions right now, giving it a double stress.

[Debra Campbell]

Hi Mike,
Thanks so much for replying. I did have the plant outside and the temps at night went down to 45 for two nights then we have a couple of rainy days with low day time temps. Could that have made this happen? I have a bigger picture posted on pictures of orchid diseases and insects maybe that can help someone figure out what is the problem with this darn plant. Thank you again have a great day! Debbie

[digitalgate]

you did the opposite of what i did wrong
you -low temp, rain, insect bite

me- high temperature 100F, low humidity, abusive movement.
everybody learn from their mistake

[mayres]

Debra - as I'm sure you are noting from everyone's comments - and you have probably put 2 and 2 together by now - your poor baby was stressed out by the environmental change and this gave disease a chance to get a foothold.
It is going to make your plant unattractive for some time, but you may need to cut out the parts of the leaves that have disease set in. Watch very closely and if it starts to grow cut it off/out immediately. Once rot/disease sets into these plants they can kill the entire plant in a few days.
Good luck - mike

[brookn]

I agree with Mike cut the spots out being careful to cut just enough into the green to make sure it is thoroughly removed, I would not cut entire leaves off, I have a phal that had a spot when I bought it and it has a tidy hole in the leaf and the leaf is still green and happy. When you cut I reccomend using some cinnamon on the cuts.

[Debra Campbell]

Hi, Thanks for replying, Do you think this plant will make it? and any suggestions on what to do with it? Thanks Debbie

[11Orchid126]

You might want to use either hydrogen peroxide or triple antibiotic (the kind from the drug store) to stem the tide of any bacterial infection.

[mayres]

That looks like a really strong healthy plant to me. If you cut off the bad spots with a sterile tool I'm guessing it will continue on very nicely. Of course it will take a few years until the plant outgrows the chopped up leaves, but it will look better with each new one. Good luck - mike

[jdh467]

Deb;These guys give good info. I never had an orchid and last year I was at Home Depot where they had Phals that were past flowering. I bought it and found this web site. With the information these nice people gave me, the Phal survived. It survived my son knocking it over at two in the morning.The fall caused the leaf to split and break. They taught me about light and feeding, and the funny looking fat roots it has. Anyway it survived and I had three beautiful flowers. Some friends thought it was artificial. Anyway, it is starting all over again, new leaves, dying flowers and the stem is drying out again. I'm not sure when to repot it. Anyway good luck with it.

Jim

[mayres]

Jim - what kind of media is your phal planted in? It may or may not be in need of a repot depending upon the media type. You can start another thread if you like and we can all discuss it together - even post a pic of your plant if you don't mind. Also - please update your profile to show where in the world you live - it sometimes helps members in giving you good tips. Thanks! mike