Treating the orchids in my sickbay: Zygos, a Phal, and an Angraecum

[BrassavolaStars]

Hello All,

I am keeping a few orchids in isolation due to issues that have got me stumped. Right now they are in my “Orchid Sickbay”.

Ideally, I would like to be able to reintroduce them into the greenhouse but I want to know if it is safe to have them around other plants and I also need to know the correct treatment for each one.

There are five plants in question: Four Zygopetalums (three with leaf spotting, one with a bulb rot), one Phal, and one Angraecum. I will start with the Angraecum didieri.


1. I broke the spur on the flower of this Angraecum didieri while repositioning the flower as it was blooming into the medium. Is that a serious problem? I did not think so.

2. This Phal pictured below has some very unsightly spots. Both lighter yellow spots and darker ones. It was like this when I bought it at a show several years ago but has only gotten worse as there weren’t so many spots on the newest leaf.

How should I treat this one? Is it likely contagious? Should I keep it in isolation? The vendor when I bought it insisted it was cold damage but I am not so sure now. Could it be something serious? What should I do with this one?


3. This leafless Zygo has rot on a backbulb but also the start of new growth on a different bulb. I am worried the rot will spread to the healthy bulb and new growth and kill the plant.

Sometimes, I have noticed that rotting back bulbs will rot and dry up and not spread to the good bulbs, which is even better since it makes a more sealed off area. Should I cut off the rotting bulb or leave it? How should I cut it? Should I repot it into bark? How should I go about saving this one? It is very valuable to me.

I had cut off another rotting bulb several weeks ago but it just advanced anyway to the one here. I don’t want to lose this one. As everyone probably knows, I have many fungicides at my disposal.



4. These three Zygopetalums have significant leaf spotting. If it were another kind of orchid I would be more concerned about viruses but since they are Zygos, I am not as worried. The smaller ones have new growths that appear to be clean but how do I stop this from spreading? Should I be worried about the health of these plants at all?

I know Zygopetalums are prone to leaf spotting and I certainly don’t grow them for their foliage. I just want to make sure the plants are being hurt by it and it isn’t a dangerous contagion.

I am investigating some probiotics to deal with it. I think it is caused by water droplets sitting on the leaves but I am not sure. They were mostly sitting near the ground so water probably did drip onto them.


I can also post additional photos (in different angles/closer shots) if that would be helpful.
Thank you all.