ew, what is this ugly stuff?!

[3starsupabove]

hi, i just posted on the intro board, and decided to also post here to see if you could help me identify a problem my epi is having...black spots on the undersides of the leaves, mostly toward the bottom leaves, but also some moving toward the top...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...blackstuff.jpg

these spots are like little black divots in the leaves...not fuzzy or particularly mushy. the orchid book i generally refer to says black spots can be either fungal or bacterial, but doesn't show pictures. i sprinkled the spots with cinnamon today...i heard it's a good natural fungicide.

is she bad off? should i quarantine her from the rest of my orchids?

[MikeWA]

All greenhouses will have plants with that. You can do a few things. Either cut off the leaf or spray it with a copper based antifungal agent or just watch it and see if the spots grow. Nothing is gonna kill the plant and higher humidity and lack of air movement help these types of problems grow.

Personally on a leaf like that, I just pluck it off unless it's the only leaf.

[3starsupabove]

awesome, that's great advice...thank you!

[Piper]

No, no, no...

That's standard Epi "rotten banana peel leaf". As the canes on some epis mature, the older leaves get this in distressing proportions. They spot and turn yellow and fall off.

We freak out because we liken it to losing a limb, but it's biz as usual for the plant. It happens as a cane matures, but typically for these plants the older canes flower leafless anyway. Don't sweat it. Let it do its thing. But whatever you do, DON'T CUT THE OLD CANES. They should still flower and thrive for you, depending on the species or hybrid.

Julie

[3starsupabove]

ohhh, ah ha! that would explain why the lower leaves were starting to fall off! whew, i'm glad to know it's just a normal part of her maturation! i was very worried...the spots are definitely showing up in "distressing proportions!"

i will remember not to cut the old canes. but do you know if it's okay to propagate a keiki while she's going thru this process?...the keiki's roots are just about an inch long, so i was going to give it a shot here in a couple weeks.

thanks for your help!

[MikeWA]

Standard Epi rotten banana peel leaf? Oh my, now I have heard everything! It's fungul Julie. It happens on more than Epi's.

[3starsupabove]

well, maybe i will just continue to treat with cinnamon for a week or so and see what happens...it can't hurt, right? other than the spots and the bottom leaves wanting to drop, it seems perfectly healthy, so whether its fungul or a normal part of maturation, it should be okay with a little time and TLC.

Standard Epi rotten banana peel leaf? Oh my, now I have heard everything! It's fungul Julie. It happens on more than Epi's.

[Piper]

I'm not arguing with you Mike - but my Epi Raniferum is as healthy as a horse and when the leaves on the maturing canes started doing their thing and dropping I had the same reaction as Heather (panic.)

I called the guys at _______Orchids (where I'd bought the plant) and they said all of theirs did the same and it was nothing to worry about. So you'd recommend a cinammon bath?

Julie

[3starsupabove]

i actually found out thru this board that cinnamon is a good anti-fungal agent, so i gave my epi a good bath yesterday...i thought it was worth a shot, and cheaper and less harsh than chemicals [since i wasn't certain it was fungal, i didn't want to use something it might not need]. mike recommended a copper-based anti-fungal agent, which i may try if it proves necessary...but i get anxious when it comes to chemicals [i myself don't even really like to take medicines ], so i thought i'd try a natural remedy first.

I'm not arguing with you Mike - but my Epi Raniferum is as healthy as a horse and when the leaves on the maturing canes started doing their thing and dropping I had the same reaction as Heather (panic.)

I called the guys at _______ Orchids (where I'd bought the plant) and they said all of theirs did the same and it was nothing to worry about. So you'd recommend a cinammon bath?

Julie

[MikeWA]

Sorry Julie. I guess that sounded differently than I intended. I agree with you that it happens and thought the name was funny and original.

It is a fungal problem that can attack healthy leafs as well as ones that are getting ready to drop. Like you said, it is going to drop.

Personally I would just pull the leaf.

I remember some talk a while back about cinammon. I thought it just dried out the area and actually did not have much of an antifungal agent in it but I can't recall the conversation and don't want to misquote.