Waterfall phal slight leave discoloration

[Callaslily]

I just bought this beauty and I noticed that the store actually was adding ice to them, so depressing. The ice was not even on the roots, but place in the middle of its leaves. It looks really healthy still, so I guess it hasn't endured this treatment long. It has a healthy root system and from what I can see, it has no root rot even though it was drenched when I got it in a decorated pot with no drainage holding the plastic pot it's planted in inside it. I'm just a bit iffy because it's one leaf is discolored and it's a newer leaf as well. Was it just the water that could cause this or does it look like a possibility of a fungus?

I mean it's lower leaves are discolored but I can tell why, I just can't figure out the upper leaf.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Keep an eye on the dicsoloration, keep the plant separate from others. It is possibly only slight sun burn on the leaf, or cold stress, but there is a slight pattern to it which is similar to some virus diseases. If the plant shows more mottling like this on other leaves or declines in health, I would test for virus or discard.

[Callaslily]

I can't find any images online looking similar to this besides a virus photo!!! I'm crying on the inside and I had my other orchids next to it. They where not touching but I fear that I might have touched this one and then the others. I'm losing my mind here...

I wonder if they would accept this one back at the store since I just bought it yesterday. At least I should have one living plant if my others happen to catch this.

[katrina]

Tranfer of virus requires a tranfer of the plant "juices". Casual contact from one to another would pose an extremely low risk of cross-contamination. The fact that its not at all unusual for big box stores to carry virused plants (because most of the time they are considered disposable home decor items) would have me wondering about how they were handled in store. That's my own paranoia though. Either way, a definitive diagnosis can only be had by testing.

As for returning it...most stores have a 30 day return policy. Personally, I'd return it and buy from a source that knows better than to lay ice cubes on the leaves. Then again, I've purchased from Lowe's and most of the employees there know little of orchid care either.

[Callaslily]

Phew, thank you for that information. I returned it immediately today and bought one from a different location. Turned out that the orchids at the different location looked so much healthier. I was told by the florist that it was because they were just shipped over. The one I got has a bit of white mold on it and a small bit of root rot, nothing I can't manage. I didnt know about phal virus... I mean I should have because my other plant (not an orchid) contracted a virus which caused it's stems to hollow, weaken and fall over. I'm glad I learned about it, because I assumed the plant was just stressed, but the placement did look kind of weird in a location with minimal to no sunlight.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Hate to do this again . . .

White mold? Anytime someone says a plant has white mold, I immediately think MEALYBUGS or juvenile SCALE insects. Have a look around the internet for photos of these, buy a magnifying glass from the pharmacy or hobby store, and inspect your plant ASAP.

If inspection indicates you have either insect, both kinds of insect are treatable if you are willing to use a systemic insecticide. There are several containing the ingredient imidacloprid that are effective, such as Bayer Advanced Rose & Flower. Also some systemics containing acephate. If you don't want to use systemics, returning the plant is your best option. Natural products, ones based on soaps, neem, etc. will not get rid of these insects.

If you treat with Bayer Rose & Flower, remove the plant from the pot, remove all bark or moss until the plant is bare root. Inspect and clean all parts of the plant with a soft toothbrush and dish detergent and lukewarm water. Rinse thoroughly. Spray all parts of the plant with Bayer including roots, repot into new medium and a new clean pot. Re-spray the plants leaves weekly, top and bottom, for a month.

[dangerouseddy]

from what ive read sometimes cold damage can take a few weeks to appear in some cases.

[Callaslily]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Hate to do this again . . .

White mold? Anytime someone says a plant has white mold, I immediately think MEALYBUGS or juvenile SCALE insects. Have a look around the internet for photos of these, buy a magnifying glass from the pharmacy or hobby store, and inspect your plant ASAP.

If inspection indicates you have either insect, both kinds of insect are treatable if you are willing to use a systemic insecticide. There are several containing the ingredient imidacloprid that are effective, such as Bayer Advanced Rose & Flower. Also some systemics containing acephate. If you don't want to use systemics, returning the plant is your best option. Natural products, ones based on soaps, neem, etc. will not get rid of these insects.

If you treat with Bayer Rose & Flower, remove the plant from the pot, remove all bark or moss until the plant is bare root. Inspect and clean all parts of the plant with a soft toothbrush and dish detergent and lukewarm water. Rinse thoroughly. Spray all parts of the plant with Bayer including roots, repot into new medium and a new clean pot. Re-spray the plants leaves weekly, top and bottom, for a month.

Yea, I know about mealybugs. This mold is far from meals. It's from the lack of air flow to the roots. The mold is centralized on two of the air roots in a small area. When I saw the mold before buying the plant, I immediately looked at the rest of the plant to make sure it was not mealybugs so my other orchids would not get infected. I read that the mold is harmless, but I put cinnamon in the two locations any ways. I think the plant was wrapped in the plastic for a extremely long time because it's roots were growing to the shape of it. The moss is drenched and it looks like it suffered a tiny bit because of it from the root rot I can see. I had to pull the air roots away from the moss gently, esp. The two with mold on them. I hope the plant dries out quickly, I'm using a fan during the day to help the process.

[Dollythehun]

Orchid Pests and Diseases