Free Bugs on my Orchid Order- what to do?...

[Cookiemonster]

Hello all,
I recently bought two cattleyas from an online vendor who has very strong feedback- I have noticed there are tiny white crawling things in the medium- ofcourse I will repot.
Also on one of the plants two of the leaves are yellowing, and considering its such a small plant, I dont feel thats really acceptable...
Anyhow, what is the best step to take as of this point, contact the seller and let them know my situation and dissatsifaction or ? ... How else to go about this.
Thanks.
Suzie

[justatypn]

I would most definitely contact the vendor. Most respectable vendors stand behind there orchids. If you took some s suggestively you can send them an email an attach some s. Good luck and keep us updated.

[MuscleGirl'sHobby]

I agree, take some pictures ASAP if you haven't already. Contact the vendor and explain the situation. I've always felt so uncomfortable dealing with issues with vendors up until ebay changed their feedback policy. Now you can be honest and not be affraid of a negative feedback in retaliation.

However, my suggestion is to be polite and non-acusatory and very polite. State facts only and decide in advance what would be an acceptable solution. Suggest this solution to the vendor.

Even good growers end up with unwanted pests. Perhaps they're already aware of the issue and have takend steps to fix the issue in their greenhouse. Like Cheryl said, good vendors stand behind their products. best of luck to you in getting a resolution.

And... if you choose to keep the Orchids and do what you can... in addition to re-potting, I like Safer insecticidal soap.

[adlemsi]

The same thing just happened to me. I contacted the seller and they gave me a full refund on the infested plant. I have bought from them before with no problem so it's not going to stop me from purchasing from them in the future. I'll just scrutinize more thoroughly as I hope they do before shipping their plants.

[cb977]

Always contact the seller when you see a problem...they may not be aware of a problem festering in their nurseries.

Repot your chids, making sure you treat them for pets and disease prior to putting them into their new home. When I'm repotting, whether there's a problem or not, I remove all old media and rinse the whole plant. Then I spray the entire plant (while it's still bare root) with Listerine, let it sit 2-3 minutes and rinse it well again, then repot. It may or may not work, but it gives me peace of mind

[Cookiemonster]

Thanks everyone, for your replies, I ended up making a long phone call and I come back to check up on them--- tiny milipedes are on the pot.... im like what is going ON here, c'mon! Im horridly affraid of insects so I used safers and zapped em!! Ahhhh....

I contacted the seller last night and have yet to hear some sort of a reply, we'll have to wait and see... till then Im keeping them outdoors- and I've sprayed all my other plants as a precaution. Now im irrate.

As for the tiny little grey things that I see walking around, i still cant figure what they are?
Thanks everyone!

[adlemsi]

I just repotted my orchid this morning. I soaked it again in Physan 20 to make sure the only living thing to survive was the orchid plant itself. I decided to repot in s/h so I'll have less of a headache caring for it.

[Cookiemonster]

Im heading out to lowe's i dont think I have bark mix thats chunky enough, I'll also go and get more safers lol ... i hope they have it... lets see where this all will lead to.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Cookiemonster

Im heading out to lowe's i dont think I have bark mix thats chunky enough, I'll also go and get more safers lol ... i hope they have it... lets see where this all will lead to.

Millipedes certainly mean the orchid mix is very broken down. I get it myself sometimes. Totally submerging the pot in plain water for like 5 minutes will make them emerge (but not the eggs.) I think you have time to order good solid, clean orchid bark on-line for midweek arrival which won't be too bad for the plant. Doubt these things will do much damage in that time. In mean time, pour some insecticide (Physan is NOT an insecticide) throuigh pot. Soap and water, rubbing alcohol, etc. all count as viable candidates to try. But REPOT!

[kiki-do]

I am curious who the vendor is. I'm sure these things happen from time to time for all orchid sellers. You may want to leave a feedback in our vendor/feedback section.