Quote:
Originally Posted by orchidkaye
Thank you so much for the help. I'm going to get on this problem today. I couldn't believe how fast these plants deteriorated. It's been raining for days and days in Florida where I live. Probably didn't help anything.
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I thought you might live in Florida when I saw the picture. Every year a couple of my cattleyas will come down with black rot overnight. The plant will be healthy and green in the evening and in the morning the whole leaf is black. I try to use fungicides every 3 or 4 weeks during the summer. I've used Thiomyl, Dithane and Subdue. If you can find Subdue, it's a very effective systemic fungicide that works well against black rot. It's very expensive but a member of our orchid society buys a bottle and sells a little to each member who wants some. I would say regular use of Thiomyl or Dithane will help also. I'm not crazy about Dithane because it leaves a residue on the leaves but it has been an orchid industry standard for years. Many people use Cleary's also but I've never used it. Always cut off any leaf that gets black rot and throw it away, and treat the plant with whatever fungicide you have.
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