Strange outbreak happening!!! Help please before it's too late!!!!

[Purple_phal_gal13]

So I've noticed recently there is these strange little black dots with a slight discoloring of the leaf on the opposite side infecting my orchids. My vanda in the picture has developed slight darking patches with small patches of these little black dots. They appear on both sides of the leaves.

I've also noticed one of my cattleya's also developing the same strane discoloring and the black dots except the dots are all over a few of the leaves. The most severely infected leaf is discolored.

I have another plant, my Marfitches Dream which has multiple dark spots, but they are not like the ones on the vanda and the catt. They are also not symmetrical round spots like on the vanda and catt leaf. A few of the leaves look infected with damage. I'm at a total loss.

I've also taken a few pictures of two of my oncidiums, the first with the fewer amount of leaves has a slight spotting and a few leaves look rough. The second, is a darker green color with a few damaged leaves thanks to a chipmunk and the cat playing with the leaves. This second one doesn't show the strange black round dots.

A phalenopsis, with a new leaf growth has a couple leaves with a few patches of the small round black dots with leaf discoloring.

I'm lost and need help. All of the things I've looked up about does not show anything like what I am seeing.

Growing conditions: I have these plants on shelves per light level requirements in a small greenhouse. It does get warm in there, around 93-97 on hotter days. I water when I see individual plants getting dry as I'm using various types of media. I have 2 vents that I open up towards the back of the greenhouse to help with heat buildup and I use a 20" box fan on the back of a black round plastic pond filled with water that is circulated through fiber media to help with cooling and air movement. I can see the orchids move with the air flow.

I also make use of a humidifier to add extra humidity to the air which the lowest it gets is around 2:00 and down to 40%. I fill this up twice a day with DI water. It holds 2.0 gallons.

I have noticed that the greenhouse is very "foggy" and humid in the morning when I open it up for the day recently. I'm guessing condensation.

Please any and all ideas will be greatly appreciated! I'm not sure what I'm dealing with here and I don't want to loose my collection I've worked so hard for. If you need more information, please let me know.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

Here is some more pictures;

[lepetitmartien]

I'm at a loss too, but I think you should investigate two things:

- I wonder if you don't have something sucking at large on the leaves. Check for acarians (mites) with a bit of cotton wool and alcohol, especially on the underside. If you have yellow/red/brown stains on the cotton, you have visitors. Don't mix the cottons between the plants, if it's a disease or some sap is flowing you'd be spreading spores or worse.

- I wonder if something in your conditions isn't favoring some fungus. But people here with GH in you conditions would be of better help than me. Especially to pinpoint the eventual wrong move.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

Thank you. I'll definately be checking for mites. I'm hoping it's something simple.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

As for the fungus, it's possible, I'm not sure what kind it is, what it's effects are, and where it's coming from.

At this point I'm not excluding any possibility.

[james mickelso]

Mites? Have you checked today yet and gotten back to us? Doesn't look like sporing bodies or fungus damage on my laptop screen.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Could be fungal. If you have a microscope, you can cut a piece of leaf off and look.

The easier thing to do would be to lower the humidity some or provide better air circulation.

You could also try using a fungicide.

If it has been too warm, that might be it as well.

Sudden changes in temperature can do that as well.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

King, about to go do thr mite alcohol test now. I had some very important things come up last minute that took priority.

It had been pretty warm in the green house over the past few weeks and I'm not sure if I did properly introduce my orchids to thr heat but that was a few monthes back. I'm not sure if it takes this long for heat stress to show up.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

Ok here is what I got off my phal. I swabbed my vanda and the catt showing the most spots and it didn't change color or shoe anything.

[IMG][/IMG]

Looks kinda like spores? Fungal?

[Purple_phal_gal13]

Sorry y'all for the mispelled words. Doing most of this from my phone so ya know how that goes when trying to type.