My first fatality?

[quiltergal]

Did you transplant to LECA after you got it or did it come from Normans that way? If you transplanted I think what you are seeing is rapid root system die off. That is why the plant is starting to shed leaves like crazy. If you did not wait for new root growth before repotting you may be biting your nails over this one for awhile. My first S/H transplant was poorly timed and that Phal. lost all but 2 leaves before it turned around.

[catgrrrl]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

Did you transplant to LECA after you got it or did it come from Normans that way? If you transplanted I think what you are seeing is rapid root system die off. That is why the plant is starting to shed leaves like crazy. If you did not wait for new root growth before repotting you may be biting your nails over this one for awhile. My first S/H transplant was poorly timed and that Phal. lost all but 2 leaves before it turned around.

I repotted it because it was in moss. Maybe I should check the roots again to see if trimming is needed to clean it up - ?

[Cookiemonster]

MY ADVICE--- cut the yellowing leafs- cut the spike you want the plant to spend energy pushing new roots and growths and not flowers...

Also if you have some rooting hormone now would be the time to use it--- might speed things up a little.

[Ray]

The leaf damage in the first picture might be bacterial or fungal, or possibly just be from cold water when watering, which is unsightly, but really nothing to worry about. Keep an eye on it and see if it progresses. The fact that one of those many leaves is being lost is also of little consequence, although it may be an indication of issues elsewhere.

I see that is a 3-component hydro pot, and it sure looks awfully dry to me. In that type of pot (inner pot with gauge, plus outer pot acting as reservoir), there is no automatic flushing of the medium or chemistry correction, so you need to dump the reservoir, flush the medium, then put it back together and add the nutrient solution.

If you've just been topping it up when the gauge gets low, you end up with a "witch's brew" of totally unknown and nasty chemistry.

[catgrrrl]

Originally Posted by Cookiemonster

MY ADVICE--- cut the yellowing leafs- cut the spike you want the plant to spend energy pushing new roots and growths and not flowers...

Also if you have some rooting hormone now would be the time to use it--- might speed things up a little.

I will do that. Thanks, Cookiemonster.

[catgrrrl]

Originally Posted by Ray

The leaf damage in the first picture might be bacterial or fungal, or possibly just be from cold water when watering, which is unsightly, but really nothing to worry about. Keep an eye on it and see if it progresses. The fact that one of those many leaves is being lost is also of little consequence, although it may be an indication of issues elsewhere.

I see that is a 3-component hydro pot, and it sure looks awfully dry to me. In that type of pot (inner pot with gauge, plus outer pot acting as reservoir), there is no automatic flushing of the medium or chemistry correction, so you need to dump the reservoir, flush the medium, then put it back together and add the nutrient solution.

If you've just been topping it up when the gauge gets low, you end up with a "witch's brew" of totally unknown and nasty chemistry.

Thanks, Ray. The problem does seem to be progressing more and more each day. I will dump and flush. (I was wondering about that and my other orchids thank you, too.)

As for the source of the problem, I know I have never watered it with cold water. I really think it's an infection of some kind. I have a feeling that tomorrow morning, I should dump it out of the pot and check the roots again and then repot it with some sterilized medium. I also have some antifungal stuff and I will mist it, too. The problem is progressing pretty rapidly, though. I fear that by tomorrow morning (or even tonight when I get home) it will be significantly worse.

Thanks, again!

[camille1585]

Sounds like a good game plan. I know you were concerned that it was virus, but if it's spreading as quickly as you say, then it's not virus. Virus does not spread that fast, and symptoms take a considerable amount of time to appear.
I would treat it ASAP if you can, and get it far away from the other orchids.

[Doc G]

I think the first thing to do is get a magnifying glass and look for insects. The damage looks like what might occur with scale, but it also looks a bit like leaf spot fungus and bacterial brown spot. You can always treat for both and see what happens. Remove any leaves that are damaged. If you pull it out of the pot to check the roots, it would be a good idea to repot in new media and sterilize the pot.

BTW, fungus especially can live in a pot in a fairly balanced way in one environment and then go crazy when it's in another (grower vs. home ) due to temp changes, watering habits and air movement. Which means it will be really hard to know where it came from.

Good luck

[catgrrrl]

Originally Posted by Doc G

I think the first thing to do is get a magnifying glass and look for insects. The damage looks like what might occur with scale, but it also looks a bit like leaf spot fungus and bacterial brown spot. You can always treat for both and see what happens. Remove any leaves that are damaged. If you pull it out of the pot to check the roots, it would be a good idea to repot in new media and sterilize the pot.

BTW, fungus especially can live in a pot in a fairly balanced way in one environment and then go crazy when it's in another (grower vs. home ) due to temp changes, watering habits and air movement. Which means it will be really hard to know where it came from.

Good luck

Thanks, Doc G. I actually repotted it this morning in new sterilized media and pot. I had a really good look at it. There are no insects - thank goodness! I trimmed any roots that were slightly questionable so much so that the plant was able to fit into a smaller S/H pot (but it's still a 6" pot). I got rid of any leaves with any sign of the infection and dusted the open wounds with cinnamon. I still have 6 leaves (of the 12 original) left so that's pretty good. I will water it with KLN solution for a while and I am misting it everyday with antifungal stuff and putting a fan on it to make sure it's all evaporated. So, we'll see.

Here is a picture of it in its new home.

Thanks again, everyone, for all of the help!

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