Orchid collection dying
 

Hello everyone,

I'm fairly new to collecting orchids and as such, have never experienced an orchid dying from pest or disease. Right now, 80% of my orchid collection is dying from what I can only describe as "rust matter" settling on the leaves of my catts., dend. and paphs. I attach a picture of two different catts. that I have with the entire plant as well as a close up.

I noticed the problem started to occur early this fall; the "rust matter" was very small on a single leaf and I ignored it. Now it's covering my entire collection.

Could someone please give me a diagnosis and recommend a treatment?

- tylerumn

Forgot pictures
 

Sorry I forgot the pictures... here they are.

I have a few catts with damage like that from spider mites. If you take an alcohol wipe or a tissue and wipe the leaf, you will see orange spots on the the tissue if you have mites. Spraying regularly with insecticide should eliminate the problem.

Most insecticides don't kill mites. Look for one that specifically lists them as a target.

I'm not sure what your problem is but one routine I used last year seemed to work well came from Martin Motes book. Use an oil based spray first. I used Organicide but one of the others like neem is probably just as good. Spray the entire plant. Both sides of every leaf and the top of the growing medium. In seven days spray the entire plant with an insecticide soap. In a month repeat the whole process again. This routine is supposed to be good for reducing mites. One advantage that I like is that you're not using a poison. Even so, I wear a cheap sanding and painting mask from Home Depot so I don't breath in too much of the product.

My first thought was mites, if you use an oil based spray be sure to keep them out of direct sun .
I like Tuckers routine it should take care of about anything going on .

I will also add my 2 cents: keeping a higher humidity level and good air circulation will prevent mites from attacking your plants.
Joann

I agree it looks like mites. Higher humidity and lower temperatures will help limit mite activity. It looks like your catts are dehydrated too - either not enough water or too much water and the roots are dead. A weak plant is an easy target for mites.

What are your growing conditions(sun exposure, humidity levels, watering routine and temps)? I am asking because some of it looks like sunburn. Wipe the leaves like they recommended if the tissue comes up with the orange spots then it is mites. If nothing then it could be sunburn. Picture 3 shows severe damage on what looks like the newest growth. I had some damage on one of my newer growths this year, not as severe though. You may have to reposition them and protect them from direct sun especially the new growths. Cats like a east or west facing window or a southern window shaded with a sheer curtain. [IMG]http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/9951/p1010144b.jpg Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2469/p1010143l.jpg


This picture shows that this plant is healthy. This plant is recovering from poor cultivation. It is my sister's plant that I rescued from her. It was rootless and has recovered nicely, this picture shows that there is flower sheath on the far right. What I found out is that I need to shade them when they go into the greenhouse for the summer. My greenhouse faces the south. I hope this helps, let me know what you have found out.
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Pot looks too big.