Catasetums happy sap ?

[katrina]

Many ctsm do get the sticky sap on their leaves...especially in low humidity. Be sure to give the leaves a good rinse off frequently because a build up of the sap can result in a black sooty mold type issue which makes the leaves very ugly, long before they naturally start to get ugly.

In general, I have found that the thinner the leaves, the more potential for this type of sap.. as well as the greater the chance of spider mites.

As a side note..rinsing the leaves often also helps to deter spider mites. When my plants are outside, the leaves get sprayed daily either by me or mother nature. When they are inside for the fall, I take them to the shower at least once a week and spray the leaves well. The falls when I've been lazy about showering were also the times when I had the worst trouble with spider mites.