Extending leaf damage - Do I cut off all leafs?

[LuizaG]

After cuting off 3 of my phal leafs - here's 2 pictures:



I hopped that the problem was over but after about one month, here's how the other leafs look:

As you can see the plant is growing a new leaf now, growing pretty fast too.











The leafs were pretty ok untill about 2 weeks ago. I was away from home for about 2 days and the Phal was on the windowsill and the window was a little open for air flow. I suspect that some rain drops fell on it. The leafs have dark small spots and some blisters mostly all over. In some of the pictures I marked some of the blisters with a red circle as in pictures they are not so evident as looking directly to the plant. If you see any white things on the leafs, ingore them, they are just cotton wool that I used to wipe the leafs with Neem Oil.

If this is Erwinia or pseudomonas as I was advised previously, will I have to cut off all the leafs if the damage spreads?

Will not the new leaf / leafs be infected as well?

Is there really any hope for this plant?

Thanks, Luiza

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If it spreads rapidly, then there's a problem.

If it stays that small, I'd leave it alone, and reduce watering just a bit. It looks a little water logged.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Perhaps another option would be to move it a bit further away from the window and grow a bit warmer and water about the same.

[LuizaG]

Hi Philip

reduce watering just a bit. It looks a little water logged.

I just watered it before I took the photos. It only gets water every 2 weeks as the pot is 12 cm across and I wait untill is dry enough in the middle to water it. (I use a skewer to check).

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

If it spreads rapidly, then there's a problem.

If it stays that small, I'd leave it alone, and reduce watering just a bit. It looks a little water logged.

That being said- the blisters look like edema to me, which comes from the plant absorbing more water than it can use.

The first sunken light colored spot that you posted looks like sunburn to me. If that is the case, fungal infections can follow pretty easily, so it's a good idea to spray with physan or listerine.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Okay, maybe just move it a bit further away from the window and grow a bit warmer and see if it looks a bit better. I'd also be mindful of the humidity.

[Izzie]

ps- if it is edema, it's not life threatening. Keep a close eye, and spray with antifungal/bacterial a few times a week.


When was the plant last repotted?

[LuizaG]

Hi Izzie

Is Listerine the mouthwash Listerine? I do have Listerine antibacterial Mouthwash in the house. By the way, I just wiped all leafs with Neem Oil, is that any good?

And I do not mind leaving 3 weeks in between waterings if that will be ok for the plant.

[Izzie]

nonono! water when the plant says it wants water- when the roots in the pot are silver, instead of green. Or you can get a feel for what the pot feels like just after it's been watered, and when it is dry, and water the day before it is dry.

Neem oil will work, and yes I mean the mouthwash listerine.

Has the plant been repotted?

[jrodpad]

Listerine is the mouthwash. Folks around here use the brown variety only (not green, not blue).

Neem oil is almost always a good thing but 2 cautionary notes: (1) never put a plant treated with neem on the leaves back into the sunlight right away. Oil + sun = sunburn for plants and people. (2) you should follow the directions for diluting down the neem before treating the leaves (unless you're using botani-wipes or something similar) - depending on the manufacturer you can get fairly concentrated syrup-ish oil and I wouldn't want to wipe that on the leaves.

Just a suggestion, you may want to give less light. That baby leaf is pretty red!

Good luck.

- J