Orchid diseases most often occur when excess moisture is left on the leaves and flowers, and also when the soil has poor drainage. Changes in cultivation and effective sanitation procedures can minimize almost any disease.
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Common orchid diseases: symptoms, prevention and treatment
If your orchid dries and fades, then this can be a symptom of various diseases. The most common orchid diseases are fungal infections. It can be diseases of leaves and flowers in the form of spots on them, as well as fungal or bacterial rot. Timely determination of the disease is crucial for the treatment of orchids.
The most common diseases can only be prevented or cured at an early stage.
Viruses
The mosaic of cymbidium and the odontoglossum virus are very similar, but, nevertheless, different diseases of orchids. The first appears on the orchid flower as stripes or spots, and the second appears on the leaves in the form of spotting, discoloration and deformation. Both of these viral infections have no known cure, so if you find similar symptoms in your orchid, you need to get rid of it as soon as possible so that the virus does not spread to other plants.
Bacterial brown stain
This is a bacterial disease that appears on the leaves of an orchid in the form of a small blister spot that gradually turns brown and forms a bacterial fluid. This disease needs to be detected as early as possible, because it can kill the plant very quickly. As soon as you notice a stain, you should cut the infected area with a sterile tool.After the infected area is cut out, you need to spray Fizan 20 or Fiton 27 on the damaged area. If none of these products is available, you can use cinnamon or listerine as an alternative. If this disease is not detected on time, it can spread to the crown of the orchid, which almost always leads to its death.
It is interesting: Why do orchids turn yellow leaves?
Black rot
It is an extremely contagious disease that makes parts of the orchid coal black. The disease usually begins with leaves, shoots or roots and can spread rapidly, especially at high temperature and humidity. To remove black rot, remove the infected area with a sterile tool and spray the fungicide onto the area you cut.
Botrytis
This is a fungus that appears as small black or light brown spots on orchid flowers. To prevent the spread of botritis, always remove wilted flowers or those that have already fallen from the plant. You will need to remove the completely infected flower with a sterile tool, and then spray the fungicide onto the cut. Botrytis infection occurs when moisture remains on the flowers, usually after watering. Drops of water remaining on the flowers contribute to the growth of Botrytis.
Anthracnose
The fungi that cause this disease affect most types of orchids, especially Dendrobium. Infected plants develop dark, water-soaked lesions on stems, leaves or flowers. The centers of these lesions are often covered with pink, gelatinous masses of spores, especially in humid, warm weather. To cope with Anthracnosis without chemicals, try treating the affected areas with baking soda mixed in a proportion of 1 tsp. per liter of water. Add 0.5 tsp / l to the solution. garden oil or insecticidal soap. Repeat application in two weeks. If this does not work, try using copper fungicide.
Southern late blight
The disease is also known as root rot and represents the rapid decay and decay of the roots and lower parts of leaves. The base of the orchid will turn cream yellow and the other affected tissue will turn brown. Sometimes you can find the growth of ceps growing on stems, pseudobulb and leaves. If this disease is detected early enough, you can cut the affected areas with a sterile instrument and spray with a fungicide. This fungus thrives in a warm and humid environment, so to prevent this disease, you can keep the plant in a slightly cooler and drier place after treatment to reduce the likelihood of reinfection. If the disease is widespread throughout the plant, then it is almost impossible to save.
When trying to save a plant, it is very important never to cut the infected area, but to remove diseased tissue with a capture of healthy. Otherwise, it will spread the disease throughout the plant.
Orchids are quite hardy plants and can be resurrected from many different problems if these problems are detected early enough.
By checking your orchid regularly, you can detect these problems at an early stage and deal with them in the bud.
The most common orchid pests
At the first detection of pests, it is necessary to quickly and correctly identify them in order to be able to use the most effective control. In many cases, especially if there are many pests, you will have to treat the flower with an insecticide every seven to ten days, at least three times, because the eggs are resistant to processing and you need to wait for them to hatch in order to process it again.
Aphid
Aphids come in all colors - including green, red, pink, black and yellow - and they usually live on the most juicy and freshest parts of the plant, including shoots and buds. Look for a cluster of aphids on flower buds, young shoots and leaves.If you see transparent, sticky drops anywhere in the plant, look nearby for aphids.
Mealybugs
A fairly common pest of orchids, especially for the Phalaenopsis variety. At first glance, it seems that the leaves of the plant have some kind of fluffy white mass. A more thorough examination reveals a wingless insect that feeds on plant tissues. They seem to come from nowhere and quickly spread throughout the plant or several plants. They like to hide in cracks and under the leaves, so by the time we see them on top of the leaves, it is likely that their population will already be quite large. Looking under the leaves you can find powdery growths. Getting rid of this pest usually requires several treatments with insecticides.
Thrips
They look like long midges, they are very difficult to see with the naked eye. But damage from them is detected more easily - it manifests itself in the form of light stripes on flowers or on leaves. Flower buds are also usually deformed.
Shield
This is a very common pest on orchids, which also happens in different forms, but most of them have a shell that serves as a kind of armor for the soft body of an insect. It is necessary that this shell be saturated with a chemical substance, and then insects should be rubbed with their fingers in order to effectively kill them. They are often found on the underside of leaves near the middle vein or along the edges of the leaf, as well as on flower stems.
Tick spider
Those very tiny, fast-moving spots of red "dots" must have met you before. They love warmth and dryness. In the last stage of infection, you will see thin lace on the leaves. Before the infection becomes fatal, the foliage acquires a hatching effect, which is the result of their nutrition.
Tick spiders are very small, inaccessible pests that can bring a lot of trouble.
Slugs and Snails
Snails and slugs usually come out at night, so look at the bottom of flower pots. They love cool, moist places, leaving holes in their flowers and leaves.
Pest control methods are listed in the following table:
| Pest | First step | Second phase | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aphid | Wash with warm water. | Insecticidal soap, isopropyl alcohol | If the aphid is on the flower buds of orchids, try twice rinse it off with warm water. |
| Mealybugs | Use a cotton swab soaked in isopropyl alcohol. | Insecticidal soap, garden oil, Nimes | For powdery mildew orchids: take out the orchid from the pot, soak the roots in an insecticidal soap solution in for several hours, then transfer to a clean new pot with new filler. |
| Thrips | Neem, horticultural oil, insecticidal soap | Malathion, Orten | Malathion and Orthene are effective for a wide range insect problems, but both smell great; apply outside the living area. |
| Shield | Dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and wipe the armored shell of this insect. Make sure that the product penetrated this shell. | Insecticidal soap, Nimes, horticultural oils | It’s hard to eradicate. Regularly apply treatment elements to get rid of her. |
| Spider mites | Rinse under a strong stream of warm water. | Insecticidal soap, horticultural oils, orten | Spider mites are eradicated by proper spraying; avoid excessively high temperatures. |
| Snails and slugs | Put a shallow plate with old beer and wait until these creatures will come to the holiday at dusk. |
How to transplant a plant
If you get infected with mealybugs, you will need a plant transplant. To do this, purchase quality soil in the store designed specifically for orchids. Then take out the plant and gently peel the roots off the ground.Sprinkle them with alcohol if you find parasites or their eggs, as well as if you suspect their presence. Fill a new ground and place the plant there, after transplanting, water your flower plentifully.
It is necessary to throw out the old soil and check the nearby plants, because insects move around the room in search of food and can appear in amazing places. Mealybugs, in particular, will also live on other houseplants.
