Spot any issues with this mini Phalenopsis

[sweta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

It's best not to treat for pests unless you're sure they're present. Then be sure of what is the pest, and the proposed treatment is appropriate. Watch and treat if necessary. Do you have photos of what concerns you?

Most Phals are warm to hot growing plants. They grow best at 80-90 F / 27-32 C in the daytime without much night temperature drop. The large, round pink and white flowered hybrids will tolerate being 70 F / 21C most of the time if they are in a medium that ensures plenty of air at the roots, and the grower takes care to water when almost dry. A heat mat makes a big difference for many people in cold climates. The star-shaped yellow to red to purple species and hybrids need to be kept warmer and shouldn't go below 70F.

40% humidity is adequate for most of the large round-flowered hybrids. The higher it is the better they grow. The star-shaped species and hybrids need to be much higher.

They prefer around 11-12 hours of light year round. It doesn't need to be intense but they do better with a longer day than they would get with natural light in Seattle. I've lived in Seattle so I know what winter is like.

Thanks es for the information. I think our house temperatures are slightly on the lower side as our house temperatures never go above 70F in winters and some of my orchids are on window sills which definitely gets much colder in the night. I will have to look jnto option of using a heat mat. Regarding light I have some LED growing lights but they are not enough for all the plants. Can we use normal lights or do we have to use growing lights only? I'm attaching some pictures of the white powdery stuff

[sweta]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

Others have addressed your concerns about repotting and possible pests, so I'll just say, regarding your concerns about the scars on some of the leaves, I see nothing at all to be worried about. Stuff like that happens when mass quantities of orchids are being moved during their long journey from commercial nursery to retail store. It's just cosmetic, and as the plant grows and sheds it's lower leaves over the next few years, those scars will be gone.

Last year, I bought one with leaves that looked worse than yours, just because I loved the color of the flowers. It's thriving.

Also, FWIW, I grow Phals in a house that sounds like it has similar temps and humidity as yours, and they do very well. I use a chunky bark medium (Orchiata), which allows for air to reach the roots, so nothing stays wet too long, but the flip side is I have to water frequently, maybe more often than some would have the time or patience for, but I only have a small number of plants, so I don't mind.

Thanks Sheri, true what you've said hopefully those scars are just mechanical damage. I'm just surprised why some of those scars appear on the middle lines of leaves. I know some of them are due to mechanical damage but I have doubts that its some kind of pest that cause those scars along the middle of tbe leaf because sometimes they tend to spread more during the summer. Maybe I'm overthinking, I dont want to hurt these orchids by using toxic pesticides but then worry about pests passing on to the collection.

[estación seca]

I can't see the second set of photos well enough. Look with a magnifying glass and compare online photos of mealy bugs. Those could also be harmless spider webs.

Be very careful with temperatures on windowsills. Many people have plants freeze. Put a thermometer between plant and glass to get an idea.

I suggest LED lights. The initial higher cost is repaid in less than 2 years due to lower electricity use.

[sweta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I can't see the second set of photos well enough. Look with a magnifying glass and compare online photos of mealy bugs. Those could also be harmless spider webs.

They dont look like mealy bugs they re easy to spot. They look a bit like spider webs but I'm unable to clean them up with a moist paper towel.

[estación seca]

It could be mineral deposits from water.

[Roberta]

As far as lights are concerned, if they are just supplement to natural light, you don't have to get specific plant lights. When I first got into orchids, I used the spare bedroom as my "greenhouse". I used cheap fluorescent shop lights ($9.99 at Home Depot) , "daylight" or "full spectrum" generic bulbs that worked just as well as "grow light" bulbs. (I tried them both ways and couldn't tell the difference, I got about 80% reblooming on my Phals) This was before LEDs were available, LEDs are much more economical. But generic cheap white ones should be fine. For Phals, 12 hours a day. (Get a timer and you won't have to worry about them at all.) With that supplemental light, you also can move them away from the cold windows a bit.

[sweta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

It could be mineral deposits from water.

Never thought of that, yeah it could be mineral deposits. One thing I noticed is they are more on the bottom leaves

---------- Post added at 06:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:15 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

As far as lights are concerned, if they are just supplement to natural light, you don't have to get specific plant lights. When I first got into orchids, I used the spare bedroom as my "greenhouse". I used cheap fluorescent shop lights ($9.99 at Home Depot) , "daylight" or "full spectrum" generic bulbs that worked just as well as "grow light" bulbs. (I tried them both ways and couldn't tell the difference, I got about 80% reblooming on my Phals) This was before LEDs were available, LEDs are much more economical. But generic cheap white ones should be fine. For Phals, 12 hours a day. (Get a timer and you won't have to worry about them at all.) With that supplemental light, you also can move them away from the cold windows a bit.

Thanks Roberta for the tips. I will try to get the daylight or full spectrum bulbs. I currently have most of my orchids on window sill so they are scattered in different rooms but having a dedicated room for the orchids with good light conditions sounds like a great idea.