Disease or Old Spider Mite Damage?
 

Hello, I have a Den-Phal keiki that has what I originally though was spider mites, but now I'm wondering. Last summer I separated 2 keikis and potted them. One got mottling on the leaves and I thought it was spider mites and treated for several weeks (isopropyl alcohol and insecticidal soap). I have never actually been able to see mites, even under magnifying glass. No webs, no black dots or streaking, etc, then or now. Only 1 keiki is affected, all leaves are mottled and actually bumpy and rough. Does this sound like old spider mite damage or something else? Thanks so much for any info.

dang, I really cant tell...the photos are a bit blurry....I think neem oil does a good job on mites...good luck!

Thank you for your reply. Sorry about the blurry pics, I took about 20 and that was the best :( Maybe I will get the real camera out and try to take clearer pics this weekend.

I am pretty sure I don't have spider mites, and was real skeptical of them last summer when I treated even. The keiki next to the bad one has never shown any signs of mites damage or disease either. I keep wondering if this looks like a virus. The raised bumpiness of it is throwing me.

Thanks again.

Orchids get all manner of lumps and bumps. Streaks and splotches. Cracks and outright holes. Unless it continues to get worse I wouldn't worry about it.

I have the same with one of mine and I could only put it down to heat damage. Personally I don't think mites would cause that sort of damage. The telltale sign of mites is tiny white dots where they've sucked the chlorophyll out of the leaves.
Might be cold damage if it is inside under an AC vent or something.

Save for Brevipalpus, smaller than the usual suspects, and that is not leaving the silvery trail of its hunger…

Difficult to tell with the blur, but it could have been. Watch out for an eventual fungus associated.

Thanks so much, I will leave it alone and stop analyzing it then. It hasn't gotten worse since it first occurred last summer. Heat damage is a possibility, cold damage no.

Acarians can come and go, they live naturally on every plants, it just that sometimes their populations explode and you mark their presence.

And if they disappear because the reason their population exploded is no more occurring, you'll find none.