What's this spot??????

[patlee]

On my phalaenopsis the leaves are usually fat and healthy looking. Now I have a spot--about the size of your little finger nail--and it is yellowish-brown and paper thin. You can almost see right through it. If you hold the plant to the light, you can see a small, darker area around the spot that might be potential trouble. My question is, should I cut it out and dust with cinnamon? Someone--Vivienne maybe--mentioned cauterizing an accidental poke. Just how do I do that?
Thanks for any advice you can give

[pikevi]

A photo will be helpful.

What is the shape of the lesion? Have you noticed it growing bigger? Is it dry ( I assume it is since it is "paper thin and can see through")? Do you see the mesh of venules ( that may mean chlorophyll has been 'lost' or 'eaten')?

If it is dry and not getting bigger I don't think you have to remove it. If you do want to remove it you could trim it around the dry part of the lesion and not inflict damaged to the healthy cells.

Please wait for others' suggestions.

I the meantime I wonder if you could get a photo of it!?

Thanks.

[sandra]

If I remember correctly, brookn has cut out spots from her Phals and treated with hydrogen peroxide and cinammon.

I'm afraid to offer any advice at this time as I'm about to lose a Phal to a bacterial infection overtaking my entire plant. For all the confidence I felt prior to this new dilemma I have, I'm keeping my suggestions on the back shelf. Don't want to give you the wrong advice.

[brookn]

Hi,
If it is dry and not spreading, (usually turns a light brown color), it would suggest mechanical damage. Such as getting pinched or poked, or possibly rubbed up against something etc...A picture would help if you can get one. The mention of a darker area concerns me. There really are a few possibilities depending on what it looks like. I have successfully cut spots out of some of my plants, and a few of my rescues (phals) had some mechanical damage to the leaves when I got them, I left the leaves as is in that case, because 1. it was not spreading and 2. I did not want to cut on the leaves if possible so as not to introduce infection. Besides being unsightly, it is harmless if that is what it is. I have one with a split leaf and some spots, the leaf is on the bottom. This leaf is finally getting ready to be shed by the plant, which is normal as it is the oldest, and the plant is getting ready to go into new growth (just finished blooming).

If this is something else, depending, when I cut (I use a hobby knife that is used on model cars, bought only for use on the plants), I neatly cut around the spot into the green area of the plant so as to get all of it. I then put cinnamon into my hand and press it lightly onto the cut area making sure it sticks to the cut spot, then I just dust or blow on the leaf to remove the excess. I usually do not use the peroxide for the cut parts of a leaf unless I am suspicious that there is bacterial rot. If I suspect rot, I just pour the peroxide onto the area, let it sit for about five min, then dry it off and put on the cinnamon. Like I said, some more information would help, and a pic would be even better.

[patlee]

Hi Everbody, I'll get a picture of the problem posted today ( I hope). I got the picture taken this morning, but I have never uploaded anything before, so I will have to get my neighbor to help me. This phal is important to me and I appreciate the advice you have given so far. I will definitely keep you updated on the spread of the "spot".( By the way, Pikevi, you cannot see the venules. I guess that is a good thing???) Thanks Sandra and Brookn--and ,of course Pikevi--I'll get back to you soon.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

It would help to know if this is a lower leaf or a newer one. Old lower leaves are not so much a concern.

Brook, it would be much better to apply the cinnamon with a new cue-tip. I avoid putting a hand against any cut orchid surface for fear of transmitting virus. And for the benefit of those reading, I always mention that one is to use a sterilized knife (not alcohol).

[patlee]

Okay, my neighbor and I hope to get this picture over to you so she can go home...This is the spot that is on my Phal It is unlike any other spot I have seen on any other plant. Any help is soooooo appreciated. Anybody got any ideas?

[WIB]

It looks like some kind of mechanical damage to me, the sort of thing that happens if the leaf is bumped or abraded. As of now, it doesn't look particularly threatening to me. If it grows, of course, I'll be all wrong. -- Bill

[patlee]

Hi Bill, I hope you are right--I have had similar spots on my Phals before and never paid them much attention. However, you know the old saying "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing". I guess now it's just a waiting game... Thanks for your help...

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Makes me wonder if you have a snail or slug eating your plants. Might put out a dish of beer to see if it catches something. Just remember that big slugs can stretch their way out of small bowls.

[brookn]

Sorry Cynthia, I forgot to mention that I bleach and/or heat the blade. I guess I did not think of virus putting the cinnamon in my hands, as I always wash my hands before I perform surgery like this. Sometimes I just pour the cinnamon onto the area also.
Patlee, looks like mechanical damage, I agree that you should look for bugs. I would not worry about cutting it out if it is not spreading.

[kmarch]

It doesn't look serious to me, perhaps as some have suggested mechanical damage of some sort, perhaps the plant equivalent of a bruise (although with the plant it will not heal) or it looks a little like a spot I had on one of my Phals years ago when a drop of water sat on the leaf in the sun and just one little spot burned where the water intensified the rays of the sun. The snail/slug thing sounds possible too. Have you seenany slime trails? If not than probably not slugs.

[patlee]

No Kmarch, I haven't seen any other evidence of slugs or snails. No slimy trails. Besides, how would they get in the house? The plant was not outside this summer, but it was sitting next to another Phal with a really long bloom spike (plant had finished blooming) that I just cut back the other day. Could it have gotten poked when I was watering and moving things around...hhmmm. I'm still going to keep an eye on this spot and make sure it doesn't spread. Maybe it's silly,but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thanks for your suggestions

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I don't generally see slime trails, as I usually catch the problem early. An inappropriate nibble on a flower or leaf is usually my first sign. The most common way snails/slugs show up is hidden in/on a new plant. I've found them in the base of the pot pretty commonly, since I repot at the earliest time possible, often immediately, if I can get the old mix out without damage to roots.

[patlee]

Good to know, Cynthia. I never would have thought to look for snails/slugs because my collection is not large enough for me to have a greenhouse (and I would never expect them on plants that had not even been summered outside).Now that you mention it, this particular Phal is sitting next to a new NOID. I can't pull it out of its pot tonight, but I can set out a container of beer.Thanks for the tip...

[Vivienne]

patlee - I was once in your position with a small collection. All my plants are kept indoors. Somehow I ended up with a slug in the humidity tray of a plant I had had for quite a while. The only way it could have gotten there would have been coming in with a new plant, or from the rain water I was collecting at the time (before I learned it was illegal to collect it - oops).

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

It's illegal to collect rain water? Well, don't tell the Australians. They'd have to give up growing orchids.

[Vivienne]

LOL Cynthia. I couldn't believe it when I heard it either, but yes, it is illegal to collect or redirect rainwater in Colorado.

[patlee]

Cynthia/Vivienne,Kmarch and All Other Geeks, Do earwigs eat orchids? My cat was following something on the floor not far from my Phals. I didn't get close enough to get a really good look before I stomped it , but from a distance of two or three feet it sure looked like an earwig (I suppose it could have been some other elongated beetle-thing with a hard shell). Anyway, my "spot" does not seem to be spreading, so I hope I got the culprit. Thanks for directing me to bugs