Question
QUESTION: Hello. I was thrilled to buy my first orchid yesterday, from an orchid nursery, at an Orchid Show in NJ; a white pansy Miltonia. Last night it was perfect, this AM it has tiny black dots on the white blossoms. I understand this is a serious disease.what should I do? Is there anything I can do to help the plant? Should I ask the nursery to refund the my 30.00. Was so thrilled yday with this beautiful plant addition to my home, and so disappointed and sad to see these black dots on the blossoms this AM. Thanks for your reply. Patty

ANSWER: Patty, if you didn't mist the plant when you got it home I would call the nursery and explain the situation and see if they will give you a refund or a replacement plant. The condition you describe is what can happen at the end of a bloom cycle.  On the other hand, if the flowers look otherwise healthy, the petal blight can happen literally overnight if moisture is present on the petals at nightfall. Mitonias are particularly subject to this condition as the flowers have little substance.  It can even happen in greenhouses where the humidity is kept very high with insufficient air flow or there is an overhead watering system.  The condition of your plant cannot be reversed.  Best you could hope for is to prevent the worsening of the spotting but that would probably require spraying with a copper-based fungicide which can leave a greenish residue on the plant.

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QUESTION: Dear Wayne King,
Thank you so much for your helpful answer. I did contact the greenhouse, and because of yesterday's extreme heat, they were misting their orchids (the show was outdoors) and they said this cld have caused the black spots. This afternoon I am seeing further damage, browned areas on the seven buds, burned out brown places, blossoms yellowing and beginning to curl. All this literally over night. The greenhouse said watch the buds, that they might not open. What a shame. Should they not have been showing orchids outdoors in 102 degree heat? The plant care instructions say Miltonias want day temps below 80 degrees, and to keep it moist. Was bone dry when I got the orchid home. Anyway I sent them cell phone pics which don't really show the definite change in this sweet orchid. What a shame. I hope they'll do something re the charge. I live in NY - the nursery is in PA; not able to go there. Anyway Wayne, many thanks for your advice. Best, Patty

Answer
Patty, in my opinion, they should have not been selling orchids, especially pansy orchids, in that heat.  The vendors in these situations, however, frequently must sign up and pay for table space far in advance of the show date and, often, back out at their own loss of table fees as well as lost sales.  I still think that to maintain good customer relations they need to assume the responsibility for plants sold under those conditions, or, at the very least, warn customers that the plants they purchase could be stressed and provide recourse if that happens.  I would continue to work with the vendor to obtain a refund or replacement.  I agree that Miltoniopsis orchids should not be grown above 80 degrees.  They should do okay under air conditioning as long as th air in the immediate vicinity of the plant is humid and a small fan is used for slight air movement about the plant.  Care must also be taken in watering to not get any leaves wet as water can run down into the base of the leaf fold and lead to rot.  Pansy orchids are certainly beautiful and, to learn how to grow them, provides rich rewards.  While they do very well on the west coast (most of the time) successful growers elsewhere often need to resort to special growing conditions.  One grower I heard about near Atlanta, did exceptionally well by growing in her air conditioned home.  Another successful grower found a commercial refrigerator, installed lighting and got beautiful growth.  They also do well in greenhouses near an evaporative cooler.  Many vendors that have stocked pansy orchids have stopped stocking them because their customars do not have success with them.