I have that blotchy look off and on, probably because I can't ever be sure of spraying every orchid with the right amount of fertilizer. But it does seem to just come and go, and not leave any lasting damage.

I now add a tablespoon of magnesium every time I spray my orchids through the rainy season and they do look much better this year than last. I think . . . Wish they could talk to us a bit more clearly, huh?

Thanks Jim! I'll be trying to make sure that my spraying with fert. is thoroughly soaking all of the leaves, above and below surface. It's certainly not a widespread occurrence. Just those two that I'd pictured.
Much appreciated!

My Blc. Glenn Maidment 'Aranbeem'..opened yesterday..but not quite ..this morning it looked like this..any thoughts? I got it last year on one of our Apopka runs ..from Krull-Smith





It's the first time to bloom..the first spike all the buds rotted/blasted in the sheath..this is the second spike with the one bud and there's a third spike with 2 buds opening this afternoon..It's too early to tell if they are suffering from the same problem. Any thoughts?

Just guessing here - too wet and or too hot at the wrong time?

I don't think so...it has not rained in ages..and the humidity is incredibly low since the hurricane went through. Daytime temps have been mid 80's night time temps mid 60's. Perfect orchid weather!

Hmm, that is not good!

Looking at photos 1 and 3, I am seeing some bacterial brown spot on the leaves. I know that some leaf spots can also effect the flowers, especially if Anthracnose is present. Also, rust, caused by Uredo behnickiana can effect both leaves and flowers. I would like to see both the front and back of a leaf to try to ID these spots.

I see what Ursula is talking about. The flowers look like they have partially rotted before they opened. This is usually caused by an excess of water.

Jim

All of those leaves are old growth and I'm blaming Krull or Smith.. possibly both!




The new growth that these flowers are on are unblemished.

Can I see the back of that first leaf?

Jim

Jim, that is the back of the first leaf..the second picture is the top of the first leaf. There's about 3 original leaves with black /brown spots on the bottoms of the leaves only...the tops are unblemished. All the new growth is unblemished top and bottom.

OK, I don't see anything serious there. I think the spotting is the result of Phyllostictina capitalensis which many orchids have and live on anyway. I see no yellow infected areas. What is the white stuff on the flower stem?

Jim

Like Elaine, I took a few minutes to inspect the individual plants.. and found this on a fairly new plant.



Rlc Walnita Char.. a bag baby from the big box store that I got in August.

Oh dear, that looks a bit messy. Anything on the backs of the leaves? Any ants?

I always look for mites or scale first. Little beggars spread a lot of woes around, so even if you lose the infected plant, at least the bugs won't get around. My next attempt on that one would be a dunk in BanRot. I think it's the one that combines ThioMyl and Truban which gives you a broad-spectrum fungicide.

My next-door mentor on pesticides says he would never spray Daconil on anything - which really surprised me. His exact words when I asked him about it were "Yeah, Daconil will kill everything, including you." Now, this guy has a Masters in Hort from UF, was a County Extension agent for 9 years, and more recently worked as a Pesticide Inspector for the state for several years.

I would keep that one close to the round can with the black bag in it. I'm not 100% sure but Anthracnose comes to mind.

Jim

Elaine, the back of all the leaves are clean...I found no bugs at all..I DO have ants all around..mostly around the plants in bud with the honey ooooozing every where. That's a pretty harsh condemnation from your next door neighbor/extension agent/ pesticide inspector..YIKES!
I'm stunned that as dry and breezy as it's been , that I would have a fungal problem in the middle of my bench... but this looks terminal to me and I think you are correct Jim..in that the trash can might be the best solution for this particular plant.

I thought Anthracnose was the one that started at the ends of the leaves and worked its evil way back.

The reason I thought of bugs first is that the leaf nearest the bottom of your picture looks like it has pitted areas in the brown stripes. The big black area on the largest leaf looks like mechanical damage of some kind. ? ? Did a stick or branch fall on it from above, maybe?

I think I agree with Jim, since there's no sign of new growth anyway. Give it the heave-ho. More space for new babies from Rafael next week!

Back in the dark ages when I took the Master Gardener class we had to pass the pesticide applicators test also, just so we would better understand the chemicals out there. Yikes, what we learned scared the heck out of me, that is why I don't generally use 'em. If cultural practices don't work and the least harmful chemicals have no effect, I won't grow it.

Forgot to mention that my mentor/neighbor is also the guy who taught the Master Gardener course when I took it in 2002. I respect his opinions immensely. We did a whole day on pesticides during that course, too.

I'm with you on not using the noxious stuff, for sure. My health is not worth risking for any plant.

I kept my pesticide applicators license up for a few years then realized I never bought any regulated materials so I gave it up.

I am looking for advice regarding oncidums... I have a several in bloom with pretty short spikes and 5 or 6 blooms on each spike. I've seen many in shows, stores and my orchid club where the spikes are at least a foot or more long, with many more flowers.
My latest one to bloom is actually blooming down in the base of the plant.



what am I doing wrong with this group?
This one is currently tagged as a NOID...do you recognize it?