You may have noticed that some of your orchids have black spots or something of the like appearing on their leaves. It may be your first encounter with this and you suddenly wonder, do orchids get a disease? The simple answer is, yes and the most common cause of their diseases are fungal. There are many types of fungal that can affect your orchids and the most common ones are:
- Foliar blights
- Leaf spots
- Fingal rots
- Flower blights
You need to be able to tell these diseases apart. This is to make sure you know how to properly treat them. They can easily diminish your orchid’s health if you neglect them for too long. Most of these diseases can be cured, especially if you manage to catch them early. That is why it is always important to always observe your plants and act on it immediately before you it gets worse. If you want to know more about orchid diseases read on below:
Common Diseases
There are many types of orchids. They come in different sizes, growth forms, and even colors. Am majority of these actually thrive I rainforest areas where the temperature is either tropical or temperate. Diseases often happen when the air is too moist and it stays in the leaves and flowers. This happens when there is poor drainage of the soul. Even environmental changes can affect your orchids and even good sanitation.
1. Fungal Diseases
- Black Rot
- This is the most common type of fungal disease. This is caused when there is standing water on the orchid. The fungal spores that cause this rot actually moves through the water. They will then attach to the tissue of the leaves and can spread quickly if you leave it in neglect.
- These look like black spots and the only way you can prevent them is to cut them out as early as possible. You need to do this with a sterile knife to avoid making it worse.
- Southern Blight and Petal Blight
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- This type of disease only happens when the weather is too warm and there is too much humidity in the air. You can prevent these diseases with good air circulation and good sanitation.
- This type of disease can cause a rapid collapse and rot in the roots and leaves. This type of disease can easily destroy your plant.
- Petal blight comes from another fungus called botrytis. You would notice small black or brown spots on the petals of your flowers. The way to prevent this from spreading to other flowers is to cut the flower itself. You can also use fungicide to treat your orchids.
- Root, pseudobulb rots and Rhizome
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- This disease often occurs when the potting soil that you use is not sterile. Another factor is that there is excess water. This type of disease is dangerous as this is very contagious and usually starts at the root. Although you would generally observe the symptoms above the soil.
- The only way you can treat these kinds of diseases is to remove the whole plant and cut the source. You should then use fungicide to drench the roots. The plant would survive if there are enough roots that have survived.
- Leaf Spots
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- These types of diseases actually occur because of a lot of different organisms. You can prevent these types of diseases by having good air circulation. You also need to prevent watering on the leaves too much.
2. Bacterial Soft and Brown Rot
- These are common and the other type of diseases that orchids have. This type of pathogen favors hot and moist conditions. This type of disease is spread by splashing water. Most of the diseases of orchids spread and occur because of water.
- You will notice that these spots have a very unpleasant odor. In a matter of two days, your orchid could die. Especially the most sensitive ones. You need to use sterile tools to remove the infected part of the orchids as early as possible. You should then spray it with fungicide to stop it from spreading and the surrounding plants to avoid being infected.
These are just some of the most common types of diseases that your orchids can have and most of them are treatable if you act on them early. Although if you are not much of an observer of your plants, you may miss the first signs of the disease which would end up killing your plant. The only way you can actually save an orchid that is dying is to treat it as early as possible. There are many ways to prevent it from happening and here are some of them, which are from expert florists who have gotten used to planting and taking care of orchids:
- Make sure there is good air circulation. This would dry the water quicker and prevent it from harboring the spores that carry the disease.
- Use sterile tools, and pots when handling your orchids. This would ensure that they are clean as they are very sensitive and prone to bacteria.
- You should make sure you have good soil and when you see the first signs of disease, you should immediately act on it. The best way to save your orchid is to help it as early as possible. A disease can spread and kill your orchid in a matter of days, you would not know what hit it.
