Onc. Sharry baby normal or fungal?
 

Heya,

I know Oncidium orchids are known for spotty leaves etc, but I was under the impression that it is the older leaves and new growth should be unaffected.

I have the worst offender for spotty and 'unsightly' leaves a 'sharry baby'.

My largest new growth (1st and 3rd pic) has light and dark green splotches on its leaves and the small growth (2nd pic) has slight light green dotting on its still unfurled leaves.

Is this normal for this and am I overthinking?

keep a very close eye out for pests...

That is my hunch

I see the one leaf with some webbing on, and I assumed that oh maybe it is a mealy bug. but I've done an inspection and it seems not to have any.

Its in bloom right now and I've not wanted to repot it at all but is that maybe a good idea?

Urgh tough question xylem.

It's winter so not a good time. If it needs to be repotted then it needs to be done but the orchid is not declining as such. It would help to identify the cause if it is insects.

Webbing could indicate mites and you cannot see them with the nakes eye but it could have also just been spiders webbing. To check for mites you get a damp wet white tissue and rub along the underside of each leaf checking for any residue you find. If you find brown or red spots or streaks on the tissue then you have mites. Most household insecticides deal with mites so they are quite easy to control I find (eg bugclear ultra).

It could be mealy bugs, they leave white cotton like substance in leaf cracks so are quite easy to spot actually.

I've never had scale but they look like little ticks feeding off the leaves, also easy to spot.

Most people like to use alcohol to rub the leaves against the former 2.

Then the most annoying out of the lot is thrips and they are amongst the hardest to spot.

The best way to spot a thrip problem is to get a bucket of water and dunk the whole orchid pot into the bucket, observe the top of the pot with a torch as the orchid is submerged.

Any pests hiding in the pot should scramble to the surface and drown. This is not an effective way to control them as eggs will always survive but it is a good way to spot if anything is hiding in the pot.

However I must give a huge warning that I would not recommend soaking a sharry baby in the middle of winter in the uk. You would need to repot it after.
It just would not be able to dry well enough afterwards so unless you can keep it heated with a fan for a couple of days after soaking it I really would not recommend doing that in winter especially with a substrate you don't know.

Start with the mites first and you might find you have them. It could not be related to pests either but often this kind of spotting is.

Thank you for your advice.

I wipe all my plants as you say when i receive them. I just repeated it and all i get is dust and fine particles of bark.
I used a magnifying glass and cannot see anything on the tissue.

My plant is still in bloom with sap on the spike on occasion.
I got it from Burnham nurseries so I assume the plant was well taken care of or already sprayed with an insecticide.

Is it cold damage? I only received it on the 10th Dec. it was in the mail for 2 days in very cold temperatures.

Edit: if I wipe down the leave with isopropyl alcohol and there are no insects, is it harmful?

Among other things the roundish pale areas in the the third photo look like sucking insect damage. The light yellowish patches can develop well after the infestation is treated and won't usually go away.

I wouldn't repot it unless you have evidence of a pest that lives in the media such as snails or thrips. Mites are tiny and make webs in addition to being much easier to miss than mealy bugs or scale. The webs can be mites, but I also see very tiny spiders make mite-like webs on orchids.

Possible paths forward:

1. Get some blue sticky traps such as Seabright Thrip Leafminer Trap available on Amazon. Some say that the blue color matters. I don't know why. The traps won't cure the problem, but they're a good diagnostic tool. Just don't let a cat step on one of these or you'll end up with sticky goo everywhere.
   
2. If the flowers get damage along their edges it's almost certainly thrips. Southpark can elaborate.
3. If it does not progress over the next few days, it is usually best to do nothing but keep an eye on it.

-Keith

I've not seen any progression since I had the plant arrive. no ill effects on the flowers, though I have had a few drop since it arrived.
There are no other web-like things other than on a central leaf on one pbulb.

Ill contact the nursery and ask if they had any issues with their Sharry Babies for more information.

Thanks to everyone who has chimed in so far.
(Attached photo of whole plant)

xylem it looks in good condition overall.

Better than mine tbh.

Looking at your orchid I recognize what I suspect is early signs of a deficiency though that I have been dealing with too.

What happens is the older leaves turn a darker green and new growth turns really light green. Sometimes the new leaves will grow crinkled, like they are lacking strength, then as things progress the dark leaves will start developing leaf necrosis at the tips that will edge down in yellow streaks and turn brown.

The remedy: Use a blooming fertilizer, not a grow fertilizer. I can highly recommend Orchid Focus Bloom for example
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orchid-Focu...s%2C118&sr=8-1

Within a few waterings the new leaves should become the same color as the older leaves using ORchid Focus bloom.

Then the rest of the year you use the grow and next year when it starts to develop a flower spike you switch to the bloom feed again. The bloom feed can be used throughout winter too but use it at a reduced rate. (as described on the label)

Not everyone believes in using bloom fertilizers and don't use them to promote flowering. You want to use bloom boosters when you see the symptoms I have described (usually during a time when the orchid is producing lots of roots or flowers) so that the leaves stay strong.
Otherwise the orchid gets weaker and will not flower as well the following year. So use bloom boosters when the plant needs them to keep it strong, otherwise leaf problems appear, the plant won't be as strong and the following year it won't flower as well.

Or just use a balanced fertilzier all year through. Or don't worry about it like many. But if you do want to give it a good chance and strengthen it up, that is what it needs imo. But it is still an ongoing hypothesis, so far so good but do be aware it is not easy figuring out what an orchid wants all the time.

Your plant has fewer spots than most Sharry Babys. The yellowish leaves are concerning. Yes, it might have been damaged by insects earlier. But I also wonder about virus infection. I would either test it, or segregate the plant for a while until you see how it continues to grow.

Okay, everyone.

I repotted the Onc. to find the media old and rotting, mostly roots with some mushroomy-rancid coco coir and bark.

The plant fell in two in the process so it did accidentally get divided.

Just before repotting and especially now, I have noticed more yellowing on certain leaves. The roots were healthy with no sign of infestation.

The plant was wiped with 70% isopropanol including the pbulbs. A new spike and growth are still growing fast but the new growth has some specks on it similar to the most yellow leaf previously.

Any advice on what to do / what not to do?