Cold damage?

[MJG]

I ordered orchids online that shipped from the west coast to me in central New York state. Both of them were shipped without heat packs, and the overnight temperatures were as low as 32 degrees the day before they were delivered. Two orchids are suffering from something. I'm wondering if it's cold damage or something else?

I've attached pictures (I hope). The first orchid is a phal bellina. It arrived with small light brown pitted spots on its leaves that are turning into small holes through the leaf.

The second is burrageara Francine. It was green when it arrived a week ago. Since then a lot of its leaves are turning yellow along the edges.

Cold damage? Something else? What might I do to rescue them? Thanks!!

[Leafmite]

These are from Seattle Orchids? They might have been like this before shipping but they should have included heat packs as it has been cold the last few nights. Are the Phal's leaves mushy?

[aliceinwl]

The burrageara Francine definitely looks like cold damage which makes it likely the Phal’s damage is also due in part to cold.

I ordered some orchids this winter and elected to chance it without a heat pack and mine also sustained some damage. I waited about a week for the damaged areas to yellow/brown. Some started looking a bit wet so I took a sterile pair of sharp shears and cut back to healthy tissue. My plants were otherwise healthy so the damage was cosmetic.

If there is nothing else going on with your plants and you provide good care, they should recover fine. Although being orchids, expect full recovery to be a long time coming.

[MJG]

Actually the orchids came in 2 separate shipments. Not getting a heat pack with either was a mix-up. I think the phal had more cold exposure on its journey than the burr Francine.

It's helpful to hear that the burr Francine does look like cold damage. That actually gives me some hope for its survival. I am hoping its roots are still viable. The yellowing is happening quickly but nothing looks necrotic yet. It seems to be an otherwise healthy plant.

The phal's leaves are not mushy, but it does have other issues (confirmed viruses). It's quarantined and either heading to the trash bin or back to the vendor depending on their willingness to refund for the viruses. So its fate is sealed but I am curious about its appearance -- I have never seen a cold damaged orchid before, and have also never seen these little pits that turn into holes.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by MJG

I It was green when it arrived a week ago. Since then a lot of its leaves are turning yellow along the edges.

Cold damage? Something else? What might I do to rescue them? Thanks!!

Hard to say what the issue is at the moment. Did you check the roots to see if they're ok? And was any fertiliser given to this orchid recently?

If they didn't come with heatpacks, and the temperatures over there are still super cold, then I wouldn't be surprised if cold damage contributes to the issues.

[JScott]

You should contact the vendor and have them make it right, whether by partial refund, or sending new plants since you asked for heat packs and none were used. This is the vendor's fault

[MJG]

Thanks for all of the input. I did just check the roots on the burr Francine. I think they're ok. They're those stringy thin white roots, and it's always been hard for me to tell whether they're healthy or not. The pseudobulbs are still green. I'm not fertilizing the new orchids for a few more weeks. I'll see how this develops.

Regarding the vendor....the first missing heat pack was my misunderstanding. I assumed they would include one. But it turns out you have to order and pay for a heat pack to get one. On the second order I did pay for a heat pack and the vendor forgot to include it.

I have been in touch with the seller about refunds for the virused orchids. They refunded me immediately for the first one that I found and $4 for the heat pack. When I emailed them the next day to let them know that 3 more had viruses, they asked for pictures. It's basically been radio silence for days since then. I emailed again yesterday and today had a reply back that they hadn't had a chance to talk with the owner yet.