Question
I have mould on the leaves of my phalaenopsis. What can I do? The leaves are
glossy and there are new roots appearing so other than that it looks healthy.
Michele

Answer
Hello Michele,

If the mold on the leaves is white in color, it may be mealybugs and you definitely want to get rid of them before they suck the life out of your phalaenopsis orchid.  Using a soft cloth or paper towel, dip it in isopropyl alcohol and wipe the leafs from the leaf base towards the tip, be sure to get the underside of the leafs also.  Keep a wary eye on it for more mealybugs as they are pretty persistent and can come back.  

But, if the mold looks black and sooty, it could be a fungus or bacteria infection.  If this is what is on your orchid, you need to remove the entire leaf to prevent it spreading through the rest of the phalaenopsis.  Using a clean sterile cutter, cut off the leaf at the base.  Hopefully, you caught it early enough before it made it into the rest of the phalaenopsis.  

Hope this helped.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.