White powder at base of I think a mini-cat
 

:hello...I've tried searching the archives in hopes of finding out what could be a problem that I see on one of my mini-cat's...I think it's a Mini Song anyway. I noticed this morning a white powder at the base/bulb? of this cat along with very tiny white spots on it's leaves. Is anyone familar with this? I've read a couple treads for a while now about using Listerine..would it help with this my any chance? I haven't had the nerve to try it for fear of losing some orchids.

Thanks for any help, I appreciate it!

It could be salt build up, or as in my case the dreaded Mealie bug. Mealie bugs, if you've never experienced them, are white and have a fluffly sort of look to them. They start at the base of leaves, and the stem, hide in the roots, and in my experience when they were really bad extended down the leaf, to the tip. I'd rather have the mold problem, I think it would be easier to get rid of...
Good luck and I hope its not too hard to get rid of for you.

This could be a mold- maybe keep the air moving a bit more? Do you have an electric desk fan? Assuming these are kept inside, of course...

Have you had lots of rain lately? Seems like you just have a moisture overdose - surely nothing to worry about, just don't let things sit in wetness, keep the air moving.

Ok, so mold is better than mealy bugs...oh joy! lol I have a spathoglottis outside that tomorrow I intend to pull it out of the pot and literally cleanse it with dish soap to clean what I think are mealy bugs. Tried spraying those buggers but they didn't seem to be bothered by the spray. They are white too. The joys of orchiding! lol Thanks for the reply...it being mold makes sense.

It's funny you mentioned moisture...this particular orchid seems to need a lot of water. If it dries out too much, the leaves go from deep green to a translucent green. Leaves from the new growth came out looking like accordians so I repotted it about 3 weeks ago in a more dirt-type medium to help hold the moisture in. Sounds like that maybe why I'm having the mold. I also had it out in the rain overnight yesterday and that's when I noticed the mold or white powder. I do have a fan that I use on them and will use that more on a regular basis. Thanks for the heads up! :Tup: