| Ohh...What Ails My Orchid???? |
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| My flowers are wilting too quickly! This may be because the flower has been pollinated, but it can also be caused by a sudden change of climatic conditions, ie. Have you moved it from where it normally sits, to a position that better shows the flowers? Another cause may be from fumes, say from a gas heater or even a cars exhaust. Some of my flowers are deformed this season, but I’m sure they where fine last flowering! There are a few things that may contribute to this, such as chemical injury to the flower bud as it is forming, usually caused by sprays or spraying oils. If the bud is knocked or confined during development it may open deformed & high temperatures coupled with low humidity may be another cause. If your plant has a virus the flower could also show some signs of deformity. It is best to isolate the plant until you know the cause. If the flowers are deformed each time it flowers, it may well be the result of a virus, but it may also be an inherent defect in the plant, in either case you are best to destroy it. The colour in my flowers is mottling! This is most likely due to a virus infection, isolate the plant & don’t use any tools that you have used on this plant on any others until they have been properly sterilised. Get the opinion of one of our more experienced members, & if it is a virus, the plant needs to be burnt. There are spots appearing on my flowers after they open! Light brownish spots that appear like this are usually Sooty Mould or the fungus Botrytis. You need to decrease the humidity level & increase ventilation & air movement. Spray the plants (not the flowers though) with a fungicide. Any flowers that are infected & any dead material should be removed from your growing area. My flowers have bruise marks on them! This is generally caused by the bud or flower being knocked heavily or the air movement bumping it against something, but check carefully, as spider mites can leave markings on the flowers that looks like bruising. Spray the plant with a Miticide. My flowers seem to have small puncture marks in them! This could indicate that there are aphids or thrip type insects on the flowers & stems. Spray the plant (not the flowers) with a systemic insecticide. There are chunks chewed out of my flower stems & flower buds! The cause here will be the same as for chewed leaves. The damage may be the result of slugs & snails, but may also be caused by cockroaches or wetas. Put out snail baits, & a spray of Maldison or Carbaryl, or even fly spray around benches & pot will help to keep these insects at bay for a while. My Phalaenopsis has its buds turning yellow! This means the temperature has dropped below 10 oC for a time, & this causes bud drop very quickly. When the phalaenopsis is in bud it must be kept at 12oC or above. Now if you have suffered all of these ailments at once, you’ll probably be wondering why the heck you ever got into orchid growing, but usually you’ll only ever experience a few every now & then, as long as you practice tidy habits & keep up a regular spray program. Remember a few ailments aren’t the end of the world, although they can be quite disappointing, & even the best growers suffer these problems from time to time. |
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