Cattleya Disease/Pest/Fungus
 

My Blc. Memoria Ong Wen-Mo 'Yong Kong #1' has shown signs of deterioration. The lead pseudobulb has started to rot at the base. I tend to keep my catts on the dry side, so I definitely did not overwater it. I'm assuming it has something to do with the minor scale outbreak about a month ago (there are currently no signs of any pests). When trimming off the diseased pseudobulb at the rhizome, I noticed an abundance of a clear liquid that turned red when exposed to air. I'm not sure if this is a sign that the whole plant is diseased or if this is normal. I am including a picture of the diseased pseudobulb. Notice that the cut in the rhizome is red. Any help is appreciated.

I've never heard of this before, hopefully someone will be able help you! I hope they could possibly be rescued for you!

Might be something like fusarium wilt... hopefully others can chime in.

Keep this isolated and sterilize tools well.

I was thinking of fusarium also. I don't have any experience with it. Here's a link to a page that contains information about fusarium.

Orchid Diseases

I don't think it's Fusarium Wilt. The discoloration isn't a band or circle and it only appeared after it was exposed to air. Thanks for all the help though.

It's a fungal infection. If the rotten part smells, it's likely erwinia, but it really doesn't matter - the cure is the same. Cut away affected parts, soak the rest of the plant in hydrogen peroxide and dust the cut with cinnamon. Or use some chemical that you need a license for.

When I saw your pictures, I shuddered. I lost quite a few cattleyas and some other orchids after I switched from my calcium-rich pond water to fertilizer and rain/distilled water. I thought the orchid fertilizer would be complete for orchids (isn't that the purpose?) but it didn't contain calcium. Once I began adding powdered milk to my water and eggshells to the medium (eggshells take time to break down and begin releasing calcium), I no longer had any further problems.

---------- Post added at 10:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 AM ----------

I managed to save some of my cattleyas by chopping off the bad parts and using isopropyl alcohol on everything but the roots, twice a day for a few days. Good luck!

I'm just worried that it's a viral infection. I have taken all necessary steps to remove the infected portions and only time will tell if the orchid can pull through. It was perfectly fine a few months ago until I had a scale infestation and a new growth on the lead pseudobulb aborted. Anyway, thanks for the help!

Check out the link that tucker85 gave you. That has nice pictures to show you the various problems that plague orchids. :)

I'm not sure what is being presented here. Is this picture of all that's left of your orchid or just the part you cut off a larger plant? It's not fusarium. Black rot or erwinia. Soft brown rot. Or a bacterial infection. Doesn't matter. What is shown is dead. Nothing you can do to save it. If this came from a larger plant, treat with cinnamon after cutting back all the rotting portions. Keep it dry for awhile. The leaves may become a little shriveled but what you want is the new growth anyway. Minus the damage.