Scale? I'm not so sure?? Can fert buildup do this? Please help!

[gardengirl13]

Ok, it's been a good long while since I've posted anything here since I've just been puttering along with my orchids and dealing with life in general.

But I found something this morning and I have no clue what it is and I need help to make sure it's not something that will spread.

It's on my Masdevallia, I do have a bit of fert buildup on the rims of two pots this one included, but it's not anything that I normally am worried about, I usually just flush everything real good when I see it and it has never affected any plant ever.

But this is like either fert buildup or from some photos I've seen Boisduval Scale Infestation, but it's not fuzzy, it's actually IN the leaf, I can't scrape it off, it's not dry or wet. Now I've VERY VERY sadly dealt with scale on my 18 year old ficus (whom I had as a baby rescue that was only 12" tall with his rootball and at the time of his demise (after 6 months of trying to treat the scale with still no clue where it came from) he was well over 6" tall. This isn't the same thing at all!! There is no honeydew, no scale to be seen, not sure if Boisduval Scale is different from that or not?

I'm just not sure what this could possibly be? I water and look over the plants weekly and didn't notice this last week, I could have missed it if it was just starting to show up mildly, this little guy has never been fully happy, only blooming twice in the 7+ years I've had him, his leaves sometimes get a little tiny bit spotty as they age and dye back, they don't grow as well as they should and get kind of twisty every once and a while. I've tried watering more, watering less, nothing seems to help. He gets the same light as my phals, in windows with screens, but he's kind of in between the brighter picture window without a screen and the side windows with the screen, so that divider between them produces more shade than the screen does. With the lack of real healthy growth I do sometimes water him slightly extra in mid-week if he's looking dry, just like a tablespoon maybe. I fert weekly to every other week every diluted with repotme food, seaweed and a tiny splash (maybe 1/2-1 teaspoon/gal) vodka, the same thing I've been doing for over 15 years now. He was repotted within the last year.

But I just don't know what to do? I can't chance losing any more orchids if this is contagious. I have two problematic orchids (which sit next to each other on that windowsill) and I really don't have a good local supply to replace them. Every houseplant I've gotten over the last 6 years have had issues, so luckily I caught them while in quarantine before they got put near my plants! I don't want to toss any more plants, so I'm afraid to add anything new! I haven't bought a new houseplant in maybe 2-3 years. And yes, these were ALL bought at very reputable greenhouses not some random box store.

Any ideas???

[gardengirl13]

Here's his full name masdevallia claude (oscitans 'often' x veitchiana 'betty' am-aos) I just found a photo of him blooming with the full name since I can't find his tag.

[WaterWitchin]

Looks like spider mites from what I can see. On orchid. The pot it looks like mineral deposits.

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Looks like spider mites from what I can see. On orchid. The pot it looks like mineral deposits.

Agreed

[gardengirl13]

Can spider mites do this kind of weird permanent damage to leaves like this? I've never had them and don't know anything about them aside from their name! ha ha! It really looks like the fert buildup that's on the pot, but just on the leaves, or like someone sprinkled powdered sugar on them and it just really stuck, I can't feel anything when I scrape them with my fingernails (like anything sunken or raised) and nothing will come off. I also can't see any bugs of any kind on the leaves, base, or growing medium.

Can anything be done, or should I toss this plant? Will it spread to others? I use capt jacks occasionally on my houseplants, but have never really used anything on my orchids, aside from trying to treat a pile of orchids I bought many years ago from two different (very reputable sellers). Not sure what happened with them but even after treating them for months I just couldn't keep the bugs/damage at bay and didn't want anything to spread to my healthy plants.

[Shadeflower]

I also think it is spider mite damage.
Spider mites are very hard to actually spot as they are so small.
The white residue on the pot might look similar but that is completely unrelated.

Can you get an insecticidal spray for roses from some hardware store? The label should say that it is specifically designed to kill mites and thrips.
You can definetely still save it and it's worth getting a spray or you can make your own.

The recipe is 2 teaspoons washing up liquid + 3 table spoons of white mineral oil + 1 gallon of water

Use this in a spray bottle to hose the orchid down.

[WaterWitchin]

Absolutely don’t toss the plant. You’re in US, so easiest is to Google “spider mite killer” then get product at local hardware store or on Amazon or local nursery.

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 PM ----------

Spray/wipe down top and bottom of leaves and stems with rubbing alcohol. Or insecticidal soap. Or better use a systemic.

[Dollythehun]

Yes, they can leave that damage and so can thrips! You wouldn't see either with the naked eye. Sorry if I'm repeating but, your post was lengthy and I didn't read it all. Dampen a white cloth/Kleenex/tissue and run it over the leaves. Spider mites should show up as red streaks.

[gardengirl13]

Well luckily I'm going to a hardware store tomorrow so I'll look around and see what I can find. So anything that's ok for roses is ok to use, or are there things I should stay away from? Again I've only ever used capt jacks, so I'm not sure what is a big no-no for orchids.

I do see on another plant (non-orchid) where there are spider webs a bit on it. I sprayed it down with water only for now and plan on doing a whole once over with everyone this week after I get a mite/insect spray. They all are due for a dusting and a bit of a shower compared to just a quick watering anyway, so it might as well happen now.

It's funny because I'm not sure if it's related or not, but my orchids all seemed to pitch a fit when I repotted them this past time. A few of the phals lost all their bottom leaves all at the same time. And the oncidium, and this little guy and my Iwanagara Appleblossom are both just looking a bit sad and dried out more than normal. Not sure if it's from it being so very hot and humid this summer (the AC has been on a LOT more than usual!) I tried growing them under lights for a couple years and just couldn't deal with them all being shoved onto a shelving unit in one corner of one room in the house, I mush prefer them being on/in the window sills or on something right in front of the windows. I mean everyone seems ok for the most part and all my phals have new leaves and I have one with a spike (it's a smaller one that has been in bloom for 3 years straight- it just lost it's last flower a month ago and already has a new spike again!) I have one with one flower left on it and it too has been blooming for over three years now. My cochleata has two spikes for the first time and looks good (again the bulbs seem a bit drier than normal, but it's still ok and has two new growths).

[estación seca]

You can't eliminate spider mites forever. They live outside in the landscape, and can hitch a ride inside on your clothing. You need to maintain vigilance and be prepared to treat at any time.

Spider mites are controlled by spraying with plain water; by spraying with 70% alcohol (rubbing alcohol in the US); and by spraying with dish soap solution, 1 tsp / 5ml per quart/liter of water. Whichever you choose you should spray all surfaces of the plant and the top of the potting medium. Soap and alcohol do not kill eggs, so treat at 4-5 day intervals for 3-4 treatments. Water kills spider mite eggs.

No pesticides treat spider mites better than the above treatments, which are much less toxic to you. I don't use pesticides. I use water, alcohol and soap regularly.

If your Masdies are getting spider mites, the humidity is lower than it should be. Mites are creatures of warm temperatures and low humidity. Think about raising your humidity. Spider mites aren't active once relative humidity goes above 80%. That is higher than necessary for many orchids, but Masdies like it.

They are on all your other plants, too. They may not cause damage, so you may not see them, but they are present. You need to treat your whole collection. I spray every plant with water about once every 1-2 weeks. I hardly ever see them.