Phalenopsis parishi new leaf with weird pitting

[sweta]

I have a phalenopsis parishi mature seedling that I got couple of months back. Its been doing well so far and has grown a new leaf but I see that new leaf has some weird pitting that its developed very recently. I'm attaching some pictures of it. I dont see any pests on it. I applied some organic fungicide but that doesnt seem to help. Anything I can do keep this seedling healthy? I water it once a week and its potted in mixture of orchiata bark and sphag moss. Temperatures right now are 80-85F in the afternoon.

[estación seca]

First, note the name is parishii, with two I's at the end.

The pot appears to be very much too large, which could lead to poor air flow and suffocated roots.

What is the ambient humidity? Small Phals suffer in too-low humidity. They may look like thus.

During warm and dry periods spider mites are more active. Spider mite damage can look like this.

[sweta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

First, note the name is parishii, with two I's at the end.

The pot appears to be very much too large, which could lead to poor air flow and suffocated roots.

What is the ambient humidity? Small Phals suffer in too-low humidity. They may look like thus.

During warm and dry periods spider mites are more active. Spider mite damage can look like this.

You are right its parishii missed the extra i. Yes the pot is a 4 inch pot probably too big for it. I thought it would anyway grow more roots and leaves. I actually got it mounted on a bark slab tied up with some sphagnum moss but the roots were drying out way too fast so I just potted it up. I havent measured humidity in our house but its definitely low. I havent seen any spider mites though. Is there something I can do to get rid of mites if there are any?

[Dimples]

If you rinse the plant foliage once every 1-2 weeks with a forceful spray of water (shower or sink sprayer), that will knock off most of the mites. It won't eliminate them, but regular showers will keep the population in check.

For truly terrible infestations on plants that are irreplaceable and difficult/impossible to wash, other treatment options include spraying with 70% rubbing alcohol, horticultural oil, or horticultural soap on a schedule, but for most indoor plants that's overkill.

[estación seca]

I would repot into a pot that just fits the roots. You could use medium bark if you like, and water when almost dry.

Sphagnum moss would also work well if you already know how to water it, which is quite different from watering in bark. If you haven't mastered sphagnum yet I would not learn on this plant.

I would also try to raise the humidity. The plant is small enough it could fit into a large jar.

[sweta]

Originally Posted by Dimples

If you rinse the plant foliage once every 1-2 weeks with a forceful spray of water (shower or sink sprayer), that will knock off most of the mites. It won't eliminate them, but regular showers will keep the population in check.

For truly terrible infestations on plants that are irreplaceable and difficult/impossible to wash, other treatment options include spraying with 70% rubbing alcohol, horticultural oil, or horticultural soap on a schedule, but for most indoor plants that's overkill.

Thank you for the suggestion I sprayed some horticultural oil today on the foliage. Hope fully that will help with controlling mites if those were the cause for pitting.

---------- Post added at 03:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:52 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

I would repot into a pot that just fits the roots. You could use medium bark if you like, and water when almost dry.

Sphagnum moss would also work well if you already know how to water it, which is quite different from watering in bark. If you haven't mastered sphagnum yet I would not learn on this plant.

I would also try to raise the humidity. The plant is small enough it could fit into a large jar.

I was also thinking I should repot it into small pot but I dont have small sized transparent pots will have to order some. I do have couple of pots that are not transparent so its hard to know whats going on with the roots inside. But will use one of those pots with medium bark. I know I havent mastered sphagnum moss just as yet so probably should hold off on using sphag moss. I have long vacation travel plans so I'm tryiny to get some of my plants accustomed to moss and also trying some self watering pots to see if my plants can sustain atleast for 7-10ndays without watering.

[estación seca]

Even a small Phal like this in good health will easily last 10 days without water, especially if in a mini terrarium.

I'm not certain that is mite damage, but it could be. No need to wait for oil to treat. Plain water controls mites as well as anything else. Use a spray bottle and spray every surface. You can also spray with rubbing alcohol, 70%, or a tiny amount of dish detergent in water.

Water kills spider mite eggs. Spraying your plants with plain water every 1-2 weeks prevents attacks..