what do you use to remove spots from phal leaves

10 years ago

Hi guys, so I got some phals really beautiful colours ,and healthy roots too. They are potted in spagnum which I don't work well with but thought it best to wait till after the bloom to repot. Anyway the leaves were sprayed with Mancozeb a protective fungicide which left a white film over the leaf. Now to me I hate spotted leaves so I want to remove it, what do you guys use to clean your phals leaves, water does not remove it ( I tried). I heard of lemon juice but I only can get Lime. Also mayonaisse but I don't know if the oil will attract ants or cause burn. My other phals I only use water mix with a little dish liquid so never really had these spots to deal with. So all the sugessions would be very welcome. I would also prefer not to use any chemicals like leaf shines. VELLETA.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

terpguy
10 years ago
Lime is fine. Some use milk.

Honestly if you really want to get them out of the moss, you can do it now. Phals are one of the only orchids that generally speaking you can get away with doing that. I've repotted blooming phals more times than I can count and maybe had a plant drop flowers once.
philpet
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Terpguy, I repotted the rest of my phals to a bark mix and would prefer if ALL were potted that way. I really tend to overwater and think bark would better suit me. So I can just use the lime stright or mix with water? Velleta
Related Discussions
Hard white spots on Phal leaves.
Q
Comments (1)
Do they look like crusty deposits on the leaves, but not actually part of the leaves? If its the mineral deposits from your water, then I would think that it will be visible on all orchids, not just your two phals. They could be sun/heat damage that caused the leaves to "pop". Try to post a picture so that we would have a better idea of what is going on.
...See More
My cactus has brown spots on leaves. What do I do?
Q
Comments (4)
You have a jade, aka, crassula ovata. It is in desparate need of light. Was this where it was when you moved in? If so, do you have a balcony on which you could slowly acclamate it when the outside temps are above 55 or so consistently. If you just moved it to this spot and it is better-lit than where it was, these could be sunburn marks. Typically sunburn marks are more uniform in shape, though. It should have about 1/5 the amount of space it has between the leaves. It almost looks like it is supposed to be a Crosby's Compact which should have all the leaves very close together with proper lighting. Jade grows spindly when it isn't getting enough light. I would take it out of the plastic pot and repot it in a clay pot. Buy one that is shorter. THey are sold as azalea pots. Your soil should be very free draining. When I mix mine, I use one part pine bark fines or soil conditioner, one part grit (decomposing granite), one part high fired clay granules (turface, aquatic soil), and one part small pea gravel. When you water it, water should run almost right through it. If you use peat based soils, they will compact and stay too wet, thus strangling the plant due to lack of oxygen. Even the soils that say they are for Cacti and Succulents are too peaty. You could also try coir inplace of the pine bark fines or in addition to them in place of peat. Almost anything you would use for a bonsai would be okay for a jade since they are very free draining. They don't need a lot of fertilizer. Use something low in nitrogen. I use Schultz Cactus Fertilizer mixed for every watering, but I only give it to them every other watering during their growing season. It is warm where I live until Oct or Nov, which is usually when I stop feeding and slow down watering to once a month until it warms up again in spring. We were warming up in March and then had a frigid spell over Easter holiday. I've gone back and forth with my plants, but having a mild spring has been nice for a change. I hope this helps, and don't hesitate to ask more questions. Do searches on this forum about Jades, and you'll get more than you ever wanted to know about jades. They are, without a doubt, my favorite. I have about 10 different plants, 10 starts from cuttings and two that are bonsaied.
...See More
What do these large spots on Phal leaves mean? (pics in comment)
Q
Comments (4)
Thank you both for the comments. :) sunburn actually makes sense because I actually moved them all to a new spot maybe three weeks ago that is less shady. It's still shady, but I guess less shady compared to the old spot (they were 100% indirect light before). I moved them all to a new spot in between the old and new to fix the problem hopefully I don't see any spider mites, but I'll keep on the lookout. I spray them with Bayer Natria insect, mite and disease formula (I think it is called that) every so often because last spring one of my phals got mealy bug infested and kept dropping its blooms as soon as they opened.
...See More
Patchy spots on phal leaves
Q
Comments (14)
Tanie, Ok, its looking more and more like it might just be sunburn. You need to keep watching it to make sure It does not turn into something else, but if it is sunburn, here Is what you should expect to see. As long as the plant does not receive additional burn, the spots should not grow any larger. You can expect the worst of the spots to become sunken to some extent, and the very worst of them may eventually become thin, leathery, and dark (almost black) Unsightly, but as long as they don't get larger than they are now, they should cause no real harm to the plant. Now, lets see if we can prevent this from happening again. Phalaenopsis are not high light demanding plants when compared to Vandas and Cymbidiums, for instance. They do need their light though. The location where you are growing Phal's, whether inside or outside, should be very bright on days when the sun is shining and there are few or no clouds. On these bright days, if you place your hand between the plant and the sun, you should see no shadow, or at most a very indistinct shadow of your hand on the plant. If you see a very sharp, distinct shadow on the plant, it probably is getting too much sunlight. Over time the leaves on your Phalaenopsis plants should be a kind of medium yellow green. if the leaves are dark green and lush looking you probably need to increase the light.....do that slowly and carefully, if you push them out into more light too quickly they will burn. Hope this make sense and helps. Bill
...See More
allymarie
10 years ago
Hi Velleta,

When I buy phals to give as gifts I clean the leaves with lemon juice diluted in a little water.I believe lime will work also.You might have to go over the leaves a few times with the solution.When the film has been removed I usually wipe the leaves off with water making sure not to leave any of the solution or water in the crown.This has worked very well for me when I have to make orchids look presentable for gift giving.

Allymarie
philpet
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Allymarie. So I mix with water. Ok.
whitecat8
10 years ago
In my experience and from what I've read, you can repot Phals that are blooming and trim roots in the process.

Full-strength bottled lemon juice and lime juice on a paper towel have removed spots on my Phal leaves when they've just arrived from a commercial grower. I've never rinsed off the leaves right after but make sure there's no liquid in the crown.

I've used RealLemon and RealLime 100% Juice from concentrate, manufactured by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.

However, the leaves have never had a white film on them. If your lime juice doesn't work, perhaps the grower can offer options.

WhiteCat8

Here is a link that might be useful: RealLime Juice
philpet
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks whitecat, I live in jamaica and have 2 lime trees at home so lucky me. :). I love to see clean leaves,and I am sure my phals like their leaves clean too. I tried getting some of my favourite bark mix from the store but they were out so I am gonna have to wait until I get some to repot. Thanks again. VELLETA
terpguy
10 years ago
It's it's always interesting to see everyone's preferences. Me, I have come to grips with the fact that orchid leaves just aren't attractive so I don't care if there is dirt or whatever on them
philpet
Original Author
10 years ago
Terpguy, maybe its the way we view them on a whole. To me they live, breath, likes to take a bath, drinks,eat, get happy or sulk I tend to compare them to myself I feel very happy when I am clean and very uncomfortable when I need a bath, so my husband says they are my babies and you want to know a secret (they are) lol. I just think when they are clean and spotless they make a much better statement. Thanks for commenting. VELLETA
terpguy
10 years ago
LOL I remember feeling that way once upon a time. But I guess after growing thousands of plants in some capacity or other that perspective flies out the window.

what do you use to remove spots from phal leaves

Comments (9)

terpguy

philpet
Original Author

Related Discussions

allymarie

philpet
Original Author

whitecat8

philpet
Original Author

terpguy

philpet
Original Author

terpguy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

what do you use to remove spots from phal leaves

Comments (9)

terpguy

philpetOriginal Author

Related Discussions

allymarie

philpetOriginal Author

whitecat8

philpetOriginal Author

terpguy

philpetOriginal Author

terpguy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

philpet
Original Author

philpet
Original Author

philpet
Original Author

philpet
Original Author