Calvin, on second thought, maybe you might have to do some precautionary, just-in-case hanging of yellow sticky traps against any thrips possibility...Thrips are nearly invisible to the naked eye and they don't! leave black droppings... I think that what you described as your thrips infestation 2 years ago was a type of aphid called citrus blackfly...They leave behind casings of very tiny brittle black crustings and white patches and yes! they are also from Asia in origin so if you have Asian orchids, you could have gotten that infestation... Thrips damage on lilies and roses look exactly like yours...They leave bright yellow markings almost always at the bottom of the leaf and spread upward (who knows why they like this configuration of eating) that turn to brown...Thrips damage look like "burns". My lily buds and leaves looked exactly like your photos. Huge spreading patches of brown. You can try what others suggested, but might as well hang a few yellow sticky traps just in case. P.S. on an unrelated topic, if any one of you orchid people are using a pesticide called Sevin, don't! Sevin is highly toxic to bees and will wipe out entire bee colonies because it is a poison that is carried out to the hive. Sevin is outlawed in Europe, but sadly is the 3rd most popular insecticide in the U.S.

I heard back from the seller, who told me the strange spotting was harmless. I told her I found scale and asked if the plant had been treated. I'm waiting for her response. I'm so glad I also consulted everyone here, or I would've trusted her and left the plant alone! Jane, thanks for all the advice. I actually found an old post of yours about a soap, oil, and alcohol spray. I'll be trying that, or maybe a dip in the same solution, tonight. A dip sounds more effective to me than the spray, and my plants are small. I want to dip both the orchid and the Hoya cv. Mathilde that was shipped with it, then spray every 2 weeks, like you said, going forward. Does that sound like a good plan? There's a third plant that was next to these 2 for a day. (Not much plant space left in the room.) It's a Primulina tamiana, which has fuzzy leaves. On second thought, the hoya has hairy stems. How should I treat these plants? I've read oil and alcohol sprays aren't good for fuzzy leaves, but no one recommends an alternative. How easily/quickly does scale spread to other plants? Arthurm, I'm not sure what you mean by pristine wilderness stuff...? I thought the plant looked pretty good at first too, especially with the new growth and spikes. I usually convert my plants to semihydro, so don't have overwatering issues. Speaking of media, will repotting help with the pest situation? Or will the additional stress be too harmful? I actually have some hydroton ready to go. The other plants can wait. Cynthia

Are they new plants to the great outdoors? Or did they winter outside? New plants that have been sheltered indoors or in a greenhouse have to be "hardened off." That is letting the plant slowly acclimate to outdoor conditions. Lots of posts recently mentioning that so search through the posts here or visit google for more on hardening off plants. FataMorgana

Hey everyone! I have two ligustrum hedges, one on each side of the house. One side = perfectly amazing growth. The other side = horrible (except for 1 of them, see pics). All the shrubs came from the same grower, purchased at the same time, planted the same day. They are 8 years old. Large full size photos: https://goo.gl/photos/wqsEd6s8VwSrzV2F8 As you can see, there is only ONE of the ligustrums in the middle there that actually is doing well. No idea why. The others are yellowing and dying. Granted, this side of the house has always had slower growth, but this is the first year I am afraid for their lives. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!