Need Help!

[Yoggie]

I recently bought an orchid for the first time and spotted some markings on the leaves.Any advice is appreciated.Thanks!

[wintergirl]

Welcome to OrchidBoard
Nothing major, some wear and tear. Nothing looks really bad. The black on that dry sheath area can just be peeled off. Some water got in there and maybe got a little mold/mildew on that but the dry old stuff can just get peeled away. Just make sure that your plant gets calcium/mag once a month, that helps prevent black spots on leaves.

[Yoggie]

I just peeled off the sheath but there are some black things still after peeling off the sheath.Anything I could do to get rid of it?The black spot on the leaf shouldn't be any concern right?

[wintergirl]

No the black dot should be ok as long as it's dry and not spreading. Also some black on the bulbs the same as long as it's dry. You will not get rid of the black but you can prevent more by making sure your plant gets calcium and magnesium.

[Yoggie]

How do I get calcium and magnesium for my orchid?

[wintergirl]

Well I use ground up egg shells and sprinkle on top of media. Then once a month I use epsom salts mixed in water 1 tablespoon per gallon and spray on when I water. There are other ways and premixes, this is just what I do. I grind my egg shells by crushing then put them in a bowl and use a heavy glass as a mortar and pestle to grind them up fine.

[Yoggie]

Ohh seems easy enough for me Thank you!! I really appreciate it a lot!

[Ray]

Epsom Salts is a very good magnesium and sulfur supplement, but egg shells are not soluble in water, so contribute little to nothing in the way of calcium.

You'd be much better off using a fertilizer formula that contains both, like the Greencare "MSU" fertilizers or K-Lite, or find a calcium/magnesium supplement like CaliMagic.

On the other hand, depending upon where you live, and your water source, there might be plenty in it already.

[wintergirl]

Originally Posted by Ray

Epsom Salts is a very good magnesium and sulfur supplement, but egg shells are not soluble in water, so contribute little to nothing in the way of calcium.

You'd be much better off using a fertilizer formula that contains both, like the Greencare "MSU" fertilizers or K-Lite, or find a calcium/magnesium supplement like CaliMagic.

On the other hand, depending upon where you live, and your water source, there might be plenty in it already.

What's weird is there is page after page of using crushed egg shells online from garden pros. I had black spots on my catts until I started using egg shells finely ground. If you want you can boil some eggs and use the discarded water after cooled. You can be sure there will be calcium in that.

[estación seca]

Like most municipalities, Singapore makes available detailed information on its tap water:
https://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/waterquality

On that page, if you click on Drinking Water, you are taken to a page where you may view Our Drinking Water Quality 2015 [PDF]

This document shows your water has Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of 54-344 parts per million (PPM), with an average of 161 PPM. TDS mostly represents calcium and magnesium salts. Orchids tend to prefer their water to have TDS less than 200-250. (Some need much purer water, by the way.) Your water should be fine for most orchids, and it has enough calcium and magnesium, so you would have little benefit from supplementing with either.