HELP! WITH MY BABY...LILAC SOAP
 

Hello, i am new to orchids however thoroughly addicted. I have expanded my collection to 25 in just a few short months. I am having some concerns for my baby 'Lilac Soap'. When I first got her she had black spots on her leaves...I asked the lady I got her from and she said that that is normal for oncidiums that they need a lot of sun but the sun can cause those spots. Well now she is starting to bloom and right before the bloom or these littls black specks that look llike seeds and there are also little white things too. If you touch it with your fingers it just smeers on your fingers so I don't think it's a bug, maybe a mold? Fungus? :(
I am a new member to this site however I visit often. It seems like every question I search leads me to here. Also a quick question about Haraella retrocalla...How long does her bloom last, she bloomed for about a week and then dropped...normal?
Funny all of my orchids are female.:biggrin:

I don't know what Lilac Soap is but since you're posting on an oncidium thread I will assume that it's an oncidium. Oncidiums are very susceptible to fungus. The little brown spots on the leaves of many oncidiums are usually a leaf spotting fungus. It won't kill the plant usually but it is unsightly and I'm sure it puts stress on the plant. I suggest spraying with a broad spectrum fungicide once a month during the humid summer months. I mix my own but you should probably try a premixed spray bottle of something like Cleary's or ask your local nursery to recommend one. You can also clean the leaves with soap and water or with Isopropyl alcohol to get rid of the powdery mildew that it sounds like you might have also. Some general tips on oncidiums to help prevent fungus would be to water early in the morning so they dry during the day. Try to provide good air movement around the plant. Don't mist them. Good luck.

Thank you tucker for your response. Yes she is an oncidium:
Oncidium ornithorynchum 'Lilac Soap'
I always water in the morning with all of my orchids and AV. I do have an organic spray that treats insects, fungus and bacteria. I will try that. I also never mist them for I have heard so many bad stories on that. I do have a fan in the room so circulation is not an issue. I plan on posting a photo later my camera is acting up. Thanks Again

If it's fungus, the old spots won't go away but if you get it under control the new leaves should not have the spots. Good luck.

Your Haraella retrocalla bloom should last a bit more than a week. Did you get it to bloom or was it in bloom when you got it?
Joann

Thanks
 

Also have black spots - Tucker, your explanation and instructions are most helpful.

Ok I did take some pics...the small purple is Lilac Soap but the pic isn't that good...I am also enclosing some pics of some of my blooming babies...as for Haraella retrocalla kindof both, I got her through the mail and she was in spike and she then bloomed about 2 weeks later. One of the pics is of one of my phal that I have a question. This is my first time getting a phal to re-bloom...is this a spike to re-bloom or a keiki beginning?

That's a nice orchid. I'm not an expert but that does look like a leaf spotting fungus that many oncidiums get. The spots that are there will not go away even if you kill the fungus. The fungus will only affect the leaves and won't kill the plant. Many of my oncidiums had that when I bought them but I spray a fungicide once a month so the new leaves are nice and green with no spots. Good luck.

Which is a nice Orchid...lol. I really do like lilac soap. It sends up so many spikes and has multiple blooms per spike. Right now there are 6 spikes and each day there is a new bloom. It also is called 'Lilac Soap' because the blooms smell like ...Lilac Soap. I wonder why the lady I got it from said that many onc. get the black spots from the sun. She said that it's a catch 22 cuause you need the sun for them to bloom but the sun causes the black specks. Luckily it hasn't spread to my other orchids (many onc) that it is with. What Fungicide do you use? I don't yet have a preference.

I have 70 orchids on a outdoor patio so I mix Dithane and Thiomyl in a large backpack sprayer and spray once a month during the humid months. I read in Martin Mote's book that Cleary's 3336 or Thiomil work well for leaf spotting fungus. See if you can find one of those or something with thiophanate methyl in it, in a premixed spray bottle to make things easier and more economical. Don't spray until it's finished blooming. I usually start spraying when new growth is starting.