Help! New Member with LOTS of Questions
 

I look forward to soaking up all the knowledge here! I'm a very eager learner. If you can put up with my questions. :)

I have four main concerns right now that I dearly hope people can help me with. I apologize that this might be rather long.

Most pressing:
I'm most concerned about these black spots on my Epi. Ibaguense. I bought it with a few very small ones that I was told to pay no attention to. I've had it for half a year, and suddenly the spots are multiplying, getting bigger, and two leaves have yellowed and wrinkled and come off. When I removed them, there was a dense collection of small spots under the dried sheath. They do not look like scale, and I do NOT let water sit on the leaves.

I just bought some Fungicide with Neem Oil by "Garden Safe" that I hope will be safe for orchids, since I've heard such good things about Neem oil. I know to not let it out in the sun too soon after using that. Should I drench it with the neem oil product I got? I tried testing it on a few leaves and as far as I can tell it didn't harm it. I'd drench during the day- and it says on a 7-day schedule.

I do not have access to a specialized orchid store that has better products. Just Ace, Home Depot.

I'd love to learn about what's going on and get some tips on how to treat/prevent! As far as I know, I do not over water- never had a problem before.

Epidendrum:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes001.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes002.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes003.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes004.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes005.jpg


whole plant: http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes007.jpg

Next big concern- roots failing to thrive: I recently rescued a Phal that was in the trash at Safeway, because it had blasted.
The crown is beautiful, but the very top youngest leaf got very limp after I removed some of the peat it was potted in and replaced with bark and vermiculite. :( Is it possible that I hurt some roots underneath?
And it has at least ten aerial roots- I thought that was pretty good for a ~8" plant. But they are all very withered looking, which is why I was considering bagging it with some damp sphag moss. I've topped them very loosely with some moss to keep them moist while still getting air, but no improvement. They're a light green, but the ends are broken, and continue to be shrively.
I'd love to be able to save this guy that is working so hard.

Next, somewhat minor: On my big phal, the lighter spot is an old scratch, I'm wondering about the brownish sunken bit: http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes010.jpg

Lastly, is this a healthy oncidium intergeneric? You can see some cinnamon dust, I'm more curious about the state of the pseudobulbs with deep wrinkles: http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...hidwoes014.jpg


And one last niglet...Is it a good idea to dust the roots and substrate with cinnamon every now and then just as preventative? The few times I've repotted, I've sprinkled some in the pot before I put anything in, and a little bit in the substrate.

Welcome to Orchid Board! :welcome:
Despite the "senior member" designation because I post a lot, I am a beginner. I wonder if the dark spots on the Epi could be physical trauma?

Thanks Connie!
In the time I've had it, as far as I know, the Epi. has never suffered physical damage.
In my experience, physical damage is not usually denoted by uniform circles- more like scratches, cuts, gouges.
Out of curiosity, what makes you think it is physical?

Black spots on Epi - temperature too cool maybe?

Roots on Safeway Phal - no need for sphag and bag. Just continue to grow it normally. New roots will grow out from the older roots that have survived. New roots will also emerge from the plant itself. It's got enough to make a strong comeback.

Spring/summer is right around the corner. Summer is peak growing season for Phals.

Scratches and marks on Phal leaf. Don't worry about it too much, that's just physical damage. If the bruising spreads, remove the leaf with a pair of sterilized scissors.

The Oncidium intergeneric is under a bit of distress, probably from a damaged root system, hence why they look dehydrated.

Again, spring and summer are near.

The window that all of these orchids are in faces the south. We have really good double paned windows that don't let in UVA/UVB, I don't know if that would affect the orchids.
That area is ~65 at night, and ~72 during the day.
Whether it's caused by cool temperatures or not, how can I treat it? Should I go ahead and drench with the product?

I will post pictures of the root system of the phal later, and see if you change your mind. Is it normal for that one leaf to be very limp for more than a week? The veins are beginning to show. After repotting, all of them were a bit limp, but all the others perked up within a week.

The intergeneric- the bulbs have looked like that for almost a year. What should I be doing differently? It hasn't gone south, but it has only very slowly put out new growth since I saved it. And no blooms for almost a year and half.

Should I be keeping that intergeneric damp? I've heard that onc. prefer to dry out a bit more, is that wrong?
Should I begin misting the roots?
I have not been watering it quite as much as the phals.

The window and the light isn't the issue.

It's most likely too cool for the Epi. Maybe grow it a bit warmer.

If you post a pic of the Safeway Phal, we'll see what's up.

As for the Onc, just water a little bit more often, but allow them to dry out between watering. Other than that I don't recommend misting. It should start growing more roots soon. The other sign of not enough water...the leaves buckling (which your plant has to some degree).

Here's some pictures of the rescue:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...orchids038.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...orchids039.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...orchids041.jpg

The rescue plant has ample roots to recover. It doesn't need sphag and bag at all. Should you use sphag and bag in this case, my thoughts are that it would backfire.

I recommend just watering more often. Instead of once a week, maybe 3 times a week.

:X I will try watering more, but am very very hesitant about that, since some of those healthy roots are turning brown/black.