Please help!!! Stanhopea Wardii

[patrickdmay]

Hi there. I've had some success with different orchids. None to bloom yet (another problem of mine), but they're growing pretty well. I just got a huge stanhopea wardii and was convinced I couldn't kill it. Four weeks later and two of the new growths just turned yellow and fell off!!!! I have no idea what's going on. A couple of cattleyas of mine have some leaves that have turned yellow. I'm not sure if this is a fungus or something else.... PLEASE HELP!!!

[patrickdmay]

picture of the whole plant

[Anisa]

That is probably a fungal infection. It usually spreads in moist, warm condition. Do you spray your plants? Cut off the infected leaves to prevent spreading to other leaves and plants, and treat cuts with cinnamon powder. Spray fungicide if you have if you dont spray your plants with Lysol.
Increasing air circulation and preventing overhead spraying will reduce chance of infection.
Good luck!

[patrickdmay]

Thanks Anisa! yes I do spray! I have a little shelf with a light over my plants and was told to spray them to keep them moist. I have a few of everything (mini phals, bulb, onc. catt. Angraecum sesquipedale ((which i had a bad experience with)) and now this stan.), and they've all grown pretty well with me spraying their roots, but now this happened. A couple of my catts turned yellow too

Should I just get some fungicide and spray all the plants with it, or is there a better method?

Aslo, with the Angraecum sesquipedale. I got it in Dec and it had a spike on it, brought it home and a week or two later, the spike turned yellow then brown and fell off!!!!!!!! What happened?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I feel like either I or my apt is poisonous!

That plant is doing fine and has a new leaf growing but i feel like blooms hate me or my place

Thanks

[Anisa]

i am sure there is a way to grow orchids in any apartment, including yours. You live there just fine, dont you? And I am pretty sure you arent poisonous.

It looks like a bacterial infection going around in your growing area and it is common to do a preventive fungicide treatment every 6 weeks or so to all orchids in collection and clean shelves and surrounding area with bleach solution, Lysol, or Physon. It is ok to use fungicide on all, except cooper based fungicide/bacteriocide that could potentially damage thin leaved orchids like Stanophea. What fungicide do you have available?
I dont want to tell you to stop spraying your orchids - some of them like spraying as you say. But i would not spray the the ones that get yellow leaves. Instead I would soak the whole pot in water.
Sorry to hear about your Angraecum spike. A stress of being moved sometimes kill spikes. Good luck and let us know how it is going

[Frdemetr]

Patrick,

I'll try to help with the Stans: this occurs mostly during high humidity (which here coincides with the season's heat) and may be caused by fungi and / or bacteria. Stop watering and spraying (completely), cut off all affected parties with a sterile scissors (mercilessly!) and spray weekly (leaves and roots) with a systemic antibacterial and fungicide solution (here I use kasugamycin - Kasumim - 3mL / liter of water). Modifying the environment (like Anisa said) the 'chid should recover in two months or so. Only then should you repot it, removing the most of old medium as you can without damaging the roots (you must discard the old medium and the basket as well) and continue treatment for another month at least. Thereafter, normal life

Good luck!

[patrickdmay]

Thanks guys!! I read soemwhere that I can use a little bit of bleach with water as a fungicide. Is this true or should I buy a fungicide? Ifso what kind do you suggest?

thanks again!

[Anisa]

Not sure about bleach. I have never used it - i cant stand the smell However I have read on this forum that some people do - not sure how successfully though. Mixing it incorrectly will damage your plant. So be careful.
I use Thiomyl as my systematic fungicide and Phyton27 as bactericide.

[Royal]

Hi Patrick,

You got some great advice here. Not much for me to add except good luck and welcome!

[patrickdmay]

Thanks again!! I got a fungicide at my local hardware store and cut off the yellow parts. We'll see what happens. I was so excited to have a big indestructible plant, and within a month it's having problems

Thanks for your help and encouragement!