Bubble on my phal what is it and what can i do????

[susanamaya3095]

i bought my phal 3 weeks ago and i just noticed a bubble on one of the leaves. a drop of water fell when i touched it. i've been watering my phal with rain water. am i doing something wrong?

[Orchid Whisperer]

It is a bacterial soft rot (Erwinia or something similar).

Cut the leaf off with a flame-sterilized blade, making the cut an inch or so below that brown patch. Allow the cut to dry completely before you water the plant again (2 or 3 days). When you resume watering, keep water off of the leaves.

I find that I have fewer disease issues if I provide plants with supplemental Ca and Mg. I do this with about a teaspoon each of Epsom salts and gypsum in a gallon of water, adding several ounces of that to a gallon of water each time I water the plants. Others may recommend other Ca and Mg supplements, those are fine too.

[susanamaya3095]

today my phal had the leaf hanging so i grabbed my scissors cleaned them with a alcohol and cut the leaf but i notice the flowers are kind of dying. how can i clean the leaves...

[WhiteRabbit]

If there's spotting or residue from hard water and / or fertilizer, some lemon juice or milk on a cotton ball can be used to clean that.