The Tell Tale Signs Of Orchid Diseases
Unfortunately for most of us orchid diseases and problems are unavoidable at some
point unless you can manage to achieve a completely sterile environment which is unlikely for most of us.
Happily the majority of diseases your orchid may encounter will be treatable and as long as you keep a close eye on your orchid you should be able to spot any visual clues that your orchid has a potential problem.
There are many different indicators that something is wrong with your orchid. These are some of the key things to keep an eye out for:
Leaves
Browning leaf tips could be a sign that you are over fertilizing your orchid, if your orchid is currently in active growth then simply reduce the amount of fertilizer or if not then you can stop fertilizing altogether. You can remove the damaged areas with a sharp sterile blade, don't forget to sterilise the wound afterwards too.
Spotted leaves could mean several things. Dark spots especially towards the tips of the leaves can be caused by the cold, this is especially common in some families such as oncidiums. Water with warm water and ensure that water does not collect on the leaves. Fine light spotting could be a sign of air born toxins including cigarette smoke, aerosol sprays, fumes from cooking. Irregular dark spots or blotches often indicate the presence of a fungal infection.
Darkened or blackened leaves can be an indication that your orchid is receiving too much strong lighting. Many varieties of orchids have adapted to deal with strong light by changing the pigment colour of their leaves to reduce the effects of strong light and prevent sunburn. If this is happening to your orchid try moving it to a more shaded area or diffuse the light with frosted glass or other materials. Once a leaf has been burned that area will not recover so you will have to wait for the leaf to be shed.
Hard brown lumps and bumps on the underside of the leaf are caused by a sucking insect known as brown scale or orchid scale. The bumps are the insect themselves, the female to be exact, the males show up as a white furry mass collecting at the base of the leaves or plant. Easily confused with mealy bugs so check for the presence of those brown lumps before treating. Use a couple of treatments with a systemic insecticide over a prolonged period to get rid of these pests fully as they can survive in the root system for several weeks before reappearing much to everyone's annoyance.
Flowers
Deformed flowers are most often caused by either shock or a tiny nuisance of a pest called Thrips. Shock to your orchid could be the result of an environmental change such as a sudden change in temperature, exposure to cold or hot air or root loss. Thrips survive on new growth and developing buds damaging them as they grow and causing them to appear deformed as they feed on the sap required for proper development. A little tougher to get rid of than your usual pests you'll need to use an insecticide that contains an ingredient called Resmethrin. Four applications at ten day intervals should sort them out.
Rapid wilting happens for several reasons usually it's environmental and not the result of disease or pests. Flowers on young plants that bloom will often wilt and drop off simply because the plant is not able to adequately support them yet. Take care of it and will bloom again when it's strong enough. Environmental changes, as mentioned above, during the development of your orchids new buds can cause them to shrivel and drop off.
Roots
Root loss in general can be both a cause and symptom of many problems. It's normal for about a third of potted roots to be dead, the orchid replaces them on a continuous basis, but more than this and you may have a problem. Environmental conditions are largely responsible rather than a disease but if left they can easily lead to disease, fungal and pest infections. Limp leaves could be a sign that there is something wrong with your root system.
Soft or mushy roots may be caused by compacted potting media, over watering or by the orchid being kept in a pot that is too large for it. Organic potting mediums will break down over time and you should replace them periodically. Compacted potting mixes will retain more moisture making it easy to over water your orchid while also providing a great place for bacteria to lurk in nice warm moist conditions. You should pot your orchids relatively tightly compared to other house plants you may be used to.
This list is by no means exhaustive and I encourage you to do further research if you suspect that your orchid has a disease and you can't find the exact symptoms here. Prevention is better than cure after all, tackle the problem quickly and your orchid should live a long healthy life, disease and problem free.
by: Matt Clarke
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