What would YOU do? Sickly Orchid.

[HighSeas]

Hello everyone! I bought this orchid several months ago at Home Depot. It was one of those "Orchid in a bag" things. Typically, I check out the condition of the plant before buying one of them, but obviously, I did'nt this go 'round. I'm attaching photos....He's sick. My question....What would YOU do? What do you think it is? (Or should I just destroy the plant?) I've been putting Isopropyl alcohol on it. What else might seem appropriate? As you can see from the photo's, it has two new leads that don't appear to be affected....YET. Thanks in advance for your input!!!

[Izzie]

I. Always inspect before you buy- many of us on here have learned that the hard way. now you've learned.
II. If you're just starting out, I'd return it if you still can, advise that they quarantine/destroy it, and start fresh with a more promising plant- and avoid discouraging results from this one.
III. I am not sure what this is- could be fungal/bacterial, could be a virus. I'm leaning towards bacterial/fungal. If it's a virus, it will affect the new leads as well. Either way, I think it would be best to get a healthier plant that will boost your confidence, instead of being a downer.

[Swamper]

I agree with Izzie and yet part of me would want to keep it, quarantine it, see how it develops (good or bad) and learn all about that disease. If you took a class on everything you could learn from it, how much would it cost? Sounds crazy but you asked what I would do

[johnblagg]

I just destroyed one of my first catts I ever bought for something similar....I wold get it looking like it was gone and thn poof here it came again on a new growth after several that looked clear of it.

I tried everything and finaly decided better destroyed rather than get into the other two I had bought at the same time.

I would probably destroy it ...LOL kind of depends on how much I gave and how hard to find it was....if it was something I had searched for a long time or high price I would definatly isolate it and try for a few months ....perhaps daconil would help?

[HighSeas]

Thank you all for your thoughts! I think I'll keep him in isolation...continue the alcohol rubs and watch the two leads. If they too become affected, I'll likely destroy the plant or experiment with various different approaches to a cure! Again, thanks for your input!

[Tropicgirl]

I'm all for experimenting. You've paid money for the plant, if you can't have flowers you might as well get some experience. Somethings better than nothing, right?

One question I have, are the black spots getting worse or staying the same?

[terrisommella]

Is there any place that is safe to buy orchids from without too much worry about virus? When buying at someplace like Home Depot at least you can see what you are getting. : ) But what about online purchases?