Tiny brown spots with yellow halo - Orchid Board

Suzanne17 · #1 08-10-2014, 05:47 PM

This is my new Monn. Millennium Magic 'Witchcraft'- I didn't even notice these spots until today when the leaves were backlit. They do not rub off and nothing on a paper towel when I wet it and rubbed it on the leaves. It's on every leaf. I'm guessing fungal though when I googled I didn't see these type of tiny spots and so uniform. For scale there is a stake right behind the leaf.

WhiteRabbit · #2 08-10-2014, 08:55 PM

Might be from sucking insects

Suzanne17 · #3 08-10-2014, 09:12 PM

How can I find out?

james mickelso · #4 08-10-2014, 09:17 PM

Wipe down the leaf with alcohol and tissue. This could be a fungal attack just starting. Of course scale starts like this too and the alcohol will kill them off and there would be no more damage. If fungal go to staugorchidsociety.org and find the remedy there for this.

Suzanne17 · #5 08-10-2014, 09:18 PM

The leaves feel totally smooth. No bumps at all.

Suzanne17 · #6 08-10-2014, 09:23 PM

Ok, I wiped them down with alcohol. Nothing really on the tissue- just a slight yellow color.

Suzanne17 · #7 08-10-2014, 09:24 PM

I checked st. Augustine and nothing looked like this really. But I'll check it again.

james mickelso · #8 08-11-2014, 12:30 AM

Some fungal sporing bodies start out in life as small specks we don't necessarily take as trouble or don't recognize. They slowly coalesce into larger areas which we then can notice and we call them guignardia/anthracnose/phylosticta/ect. Just watch them closely and if they spread, get out the big guns.

Suzanne17 · #9 08-11-2014, 10:15 AM

I wish I knew for sure so I could treat it. I have physan 20- maybe I should give it a spray of that just in case?

nikkik · #10 08-11-2014, 11:16 AM

When I got mine, 2 years ago, it had spots exactly like that. I asked the vendor and he said it was from spraying the plants. I've had two new growths since then and I haven't seen the spots again. If you can ask the vendor it may help you to eliminate some possible culprits because the suggestions that Sonya and James gave are good possibilities too.

I have found that these orchids are tough, but the leaves are much more delicate then those of most of my other orchids. I have also heard it said that the leaves are tasty to many insects.