AboutWayne King Expertise Any question about orchid culture. I have thirty+ yrs of growing experience,president 2x of our local Orchid Growers Guild,held a position in most all other offices associated with the Guild at one time or another. Head of Orchid judging team for local club meetings and some shows. Member of two Orchid Socities and local Rep.for Mid America Orchid Congress for several yrs.I have in my collection about 800 Orchid plants of all types.
Experience
Past/Present clients Previously an expert on expertcentral.com.
I have attached a photo of the affected leave on my Phal orchid. It was bloomed for 3 years, getting better each year. Last season I had 50 blooms from 4 spikes and it produced a baby. 2 months ago I removed the baby and it is looking healthy but the mother is worrying me. It has 7 good looking leaves but a yellow, blistered looking patch has appeared on the top leaf since it was separated from the baby. Only one leafe is affected and there is no browning of the tip, the yellow patch starts about one inch above the tip and ity is about 2 inches long. Also, the new potting mix I bought has tiny little flying insects coming out of it. I rang the Nursery and they said not to worry about them. It is winter in NZ now so I only water them once a week and leave them in the sink for an hour to drain well. Hope you can help.
Answer Joan, thanks for the photo. It could be a viral infection. Difficult to know without actually testing the tissue. Best thing to do at this point is to use a sterile cutting tool and remove this section of the leaf. Cut at least an inch below the affected part of the leaf. You may do your cut in such a manner that you recreate the shape of the tip. The orchid potting mix you used is either too wet or not one of the types of open potting mixes orchids need. It should be fir bark based. Also, it may have been damp when you purchased it, permitting insect larvae to thrive. While it is true that these little flying insects should not damage the plant, they are present because the type and/or condition of your potting mix permits them to thrive. Any ptting mix that is good for these fungus knats is not the best for your plant. Either repot to a more open potting mix or permit your potting mix to dry out between waterings. You may be able to find sticky paper at your garden center. This, when placed near your plant, will attract and trap the adult, flying, fungus gnats.
Be sure to keep your plant warm (at least 60 degrees F).
)