ACK! what the heck is this...

[GrumpyBear]

Hi all, i mention in my intro thread i just recently bought some dens. not a lot of options for my orchid buying needs other than noid supermarket phals (and the net but shipping costs tend to be greater than the orchid's actual price...and i'm a poor student...) so when i saw dens at the recent gardening show i grabbed a couple but i was in a rush so i guess i missed this at the time and i haven't had a minute for the plants lately cuz of exams so i just found them a temporary spot for the time being.
well i have a couple days before my next exam so i decided to find my pretties a better home last night and thats when i saw these nasty spots. i first thought fungus maybe and used some sulfur but wiped it off to take this pic and now the leaf is all wilty (it wasn't before, just the spots and the raised areas around the spots...i guess sulfur isn't safe for orchids, maybe i should have started a thread about that first...) i've been trolling and googling all morning looking for something similar and can't so i'm just starting a new thread (i think this is where this should go, if not a mod can move it for me with my apologies...)

*pouts* please tell me it's not bugs, should i just remove that leaf cuz the rest of the plant is all happy looking... i don't think you have the best view of this but the spot is really dark and in the middle of the spot is little black spots...*cringes* help me orchidtalk kenobi, you're my only hope!

[Molly Taco]

I am not sure what it is but if the rest of the plant is healthy looking I would definitely remove the leaf. Sterilize your shears just in case. Is the spot wet and soft or dry? Might want to treat with physan of the stuff in the blue bottle.
Cin

[ischel1]

Yup, cut it off and put either peroxide or cinnamon on the cut portion. I would also treat the whole plant with a physan drench if I were you.

[GrumpyBear]

the spot is dry and firm, the leaf around used to be all normal and leafy but now is dry and limp. i went all over town yesterday then went through the phonebook today looking for someone who carries physan (see, i've been learning a lot from my trolling..) but noone around here does. (my city is not very orchid friendly, i can't even get see-through plastic pots ) i'll certainly cut the leaf off tomorrow then, i need to buy the cinnamon or peroxide first...

[Cjcorner]

Dusting cinnamon on a cut works great and kills alot of fungus' that need moisture to grow. I was lucky to hear that one early.
Connie

[Phyrex]

I've just found out from someone on the forum here that they don't have Physan in the great white north. I'm using cinnamon.

[Tednz]

You can also use sulphur to dust cuts.
Tednz

[GrumpyBear]

I've just found out from someone on the forum here that they don't have Physan in the great white north. I'm using cinnamon.

well that explains some funny looks i was gettin' yesterday...

You can also use sulphur to dust cuts.
Tednz

so sulfur is safe?...cuz i already have that. oh well, i should probably pick up the peroxide anyways, not a bad thing to have around the house...

[sadie]

Good luck. If you are looking for a way to get cheap, but nice orchids, try to find a local orchid society. Surely those exist in the great white north as you call it. You'd be surprised what kind of freebies and raffle plants you can get for very little money.

[bluegardener]

Might be sunburn. Maybe someone else will have something to say about this. Good luck!