A Detailed Guide to Common Pests and Diseases of Phalaenopsis Orchids and Their Control Methods
Some flowers are born with a strong perfume scent, such as ginger lily, jasmine, and narcissus, while others are born to catch the eye with their beauty, and that is exactly the Phalaenopsis orchid. According to incomplete statistics, Phalaenopsis orchid petals come in over a thousand colors and patterns, some fresh and refined, some striking crimson, some dotted with different spots between the petals, so there is truly something for every taste.
However, just as flower lovers were admiring it, quite a few people started to feel frustrated after growing it: why do the leaves turn yellow when I carefully tend to it every day? Why does a plant that was originally laden with fruit also show blackening?
Even with proper daily care, situations such as flowers wilting and leaves blackening still occur, so do not overlook the aspect of disease. Generally speaking, three types of pathogens harm Phalaenopsis orchids. One type is called bacteria, which mainly reproduce inside the plant; once mature, most leaves will secrete water droplets, and after being touched by hand, infection is easily spread. The second type is called fungi, whose shape resembles a spider web, mostly growing on flower leaves and flower stems; after forming, a substance called spores spreads to various plant tissues.
The third type is called a virus, which is a physiological tissue disease, occurring frequently in all three seasons of summer, spring, and autumn. Therefore, during these two seasons, some sterilizing powder can be diluted 1:1000 for prevention, and in summer when pathogens are more active, it can be sprayed once every week. However, note that no matter what disease it is, once it invades the plant body, it cannot be completely cured.
Therefore, sterilizing powders on the market can only play a preventive role and cannot cure diseases. For example, with Phalaenopsis orchid virus disease, this disease harms its leaves and flowers. After infection, sunken brown spots may appear on the leaves, slowly becoming large lesions, and the leaf tissue will also turn yellow; in some cases, yellow-green mottled patches appear on the leaves, along with rough, uneven symptoms.
If during the process the virus harms the flower itself, then the flower will show white streaks of varying lengths. This disease is caused by mosaic virus and others; most diseased plants are formed while overwintering or over-summering, and then spread through sap, tools, hands, and aphids. If management is neglected, the condition can easily worsen. Once diseased plants are found later, they must be pulled out promptly, tools and hands must be disinfected with hot soapy water or 3% trisodium phosphate, and virus-transmitting insects must also be controlled; pesticides can be used, and yellow sticky traps can also be used for trapping and killing.