paphiopedilum - leaves turn red

[christoph0315]

Hey y'all!
One of my Paphs, Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum to be precise, is giving me this picture:








Overall the plant looks happy to me. I admit I don't water them too often. They are, as most of my Paphs in relatively loose bark mix, Bonsai Jacks universal potting mix. I dont give much fertilizer but if i do, its either 20-20-20 or 13-20-10.

any thoughts what could have caused this or all good?

Thx!

[SouthPark]

May have started from mite/insect damage. Maintain good gentle air movement ..... and possibly asap spray some systematic treatment on the leaves and stem ..... on top and bottom of leaves ...... eg. copper spray for plants.

Maybe bacterial activity.

[Roberta]

Losing leaves on the old growth (that has already bloomed) is normal. On the newer growth, the first think I'd think of is the watering issue... Paphs really, really,really don't like to dry out. Another consideration - spider mites like it dry, so they may be contributing to the problem. So first, kick up the watering! Then, check for spider mites (wipe leaves with a damp tissue, if you get red streaks you have them. Other sign is "stippling" on the underside of the leaves, they tend to be silvery and pitted.

[Ray]

It looks like a rust fungus to me...

[christoph0315]

Originally Posted by Ray

It looks like a rust fungus to me...

thats what I thought. I bought your liquid cooper fungicide. is this the right approach?

thx

[Ray]

Yes, indeed.

[SouthPark]

cured - lucky - link

Forgot to add the above link.