Bringing in the "Chids" from outside

[kiki-do]

Originally Posted by Ross

Try Bayer Tree and Fruit (?) spray. It has Merit which is systemic. Once a week for 3 weeks. Took care of my aphids and scale.

Ross,
Did you mean Fruit and Shrub spray? I can't find the other. Is it something you can get at a Walmart?

[smweaver]

You can also immerse the entire plant in a bucket of lukewarm water for around half an hour to forty-five minutes, which will be long enough to drown anything that's decided to take up residency in the pot. I do this every fall and it's always worked pretty well for me. And if you're really paranoid (like I am) that you might not have gotten one or two bugs that could have possibly held their breath for that long, you can dump some insecticidal soap into the top of the pot after the bucket treatment. Although this is a time-consuming fix (especially if you've got a lot of plants), it shouldn't hurt your phals. I use it on cattleyas, vandas, lycastes, etc., and I've never experienced a problem with the plants--in fact, it might even help them by dissolving and flushing out any residual salts that may have built up over the summer growing period.

[kiki-do]

Originally Posted by smweaver

You can also immerse the entire plant in a bucket of lukewarm water for around half an hour to forty-five minutes, which will be long enough to drown anything that's decided to take up residency in the pot. I do this every fall and it's always worked pretty well for me. And if you're really paranoid (like I am) that you might not have gotten one or two bugs that could have possibly held their breath for that long, you can dump some insecticidal soap into the top of the pot after the bucket treatment. Although this is a time-consuming fix (especially if you've got a lot of plants), it shouldn't hurt your phals. I use it on cattleyas, vandas, lycastes, etc., and I've never experienced a problem with the plants--in fact, it might even help them by dissolving and flushing out any residual salts that may have built up over the summer growing period.

Thanks, for that thought. I have dunked my phals in water for long periods of time. I swear they can hold their breath here longer. I haven't put soap in, though. Maybe I will try that.
Here's an update. I brought in the phals I had outside about two weeks ago. I soaked them for 1/2 hour in lukewarm water, swabbed anything in the stems and blooms with alcohol, and placed them all in another room. I recently watered again, and saw a few critters still hanging on for dear life, so hauled out the alcohol and q-tips and brush and did another good swipe-over. Today I saw another mealie on one of the blooms. Oyvey! I need to get some type of spray, and use it even if I lose the blooms. I just hate critters hanging around. I want to move these phals back into the sunroom with the others. But not quite yet.

[Orchid126]

Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower Spray comes in a premixed spray bottle and is systemic. There is a product called something like Bayer Tree spray that must be diluted.

The growth may seem to be retarded if the spray is used just before the plant comes in after being outside all summer, but bear in mind that the light is weaker and the days are shorter, and the softly moving air and humidity are absent, and that might be the real cause.