black/brown spots on cymbidium, please help!

[ky1]

Hi I am new to this group and I'm already in trouble!!

Yesterday I purchased 2 cymbidiums. I was in a rush and was just happy to find them. When I got them home I realized they had dark brown/ black spots on the underneath of some leaves. The white with pink cymbidium also looks like it is going to drop all its unopened buds (it just dropped one) but it has the fewest spots. Then I also noticed a white fluffy cocoon like object also on the underneath of a leaf. Could anyone please tell me how I handle this?

I live in Toronto Canada.

Thank you,
Ky

[BikerDoc5968]

Not sure that the spots are anything to worry about...But the white fluffy looks like mealy bug.....

the yellowing pseudobulb looks like it may be on its way out..as you know this will happen from time to time

[ky1]

Thanks BikerDoc. Would mealy bug make the buds turn yellow and drop? here is a pic of a yellowing bud, and two buds at the tip that were about to open but are now drooping.

thanks!!

[BikerDoc5968]

Don't kknow where in Canada you live but I'm in Michigan and our weather is very cold, so I can't imagine you are any warmer! Big changes in temperature will cause buds to blast....yellow, die and fall off....if it were mealy, you'd see the cotton mass on the flowers. Flower buds can blast even on well established plants if the growing conditions change when the buds are developing.....

[camille1585]

I don't think the white thing is a mealy bug. I know that I knew what it is at one point, but can't seem to remember. I think It's the cocoon of some sort of moth.You can just take it off.
In the first picture there is something that bothers me more than the spots. The photo is a little small, but does anyone else see those little brown blobs along the middle vein? Looks possibly like scale.

As for the buds dropping, it might be bud blast since you recently got the plant. Sometimes the change in conditions your home and the store, or even the traveling in between, will shock buds on orchids and they fall off. I really hate when they do that, it's so frustrating!

[ky1]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I think those brown dots are scale too. I'll try to do something about that tonight.

The weather here has just become a lot colder so I guess that's what has caused the bud blast. How sad...

[BikerDoc5968]

Excellent call, Camille.....I had to go back and look a 2nd time but you're correct. There are brown spots and then there are other spots that look very much like soft brown scale!