Will fungicide/ insecticidal soap hurt spike/ blossoms?

[JeffreyGreen17]

ok sweet! do you garden safe would work too?

[BikerDoc5968]

Originally Posted by JeffreyGreen17

ok sweet! do you garden safe would work too?

I have never used that product so I can't answer with any confidence. Possibly someone who has used it could chime in. While I believe in using products that are safe for the environment, when I want to KILL something I bring out the big guns! Any of the "disinfectant" products like Physan 20/RD-20 won't touch most insect vectors.

[tucker85]

Are you sure it's mites? It sounds more like hard scale. Safer's won't hurt buds. I routinely spray buds on plants that are grown outdoors. You can spray the roots that are showing and the surface of the potting medium. I don't spray open flowers because it can cause spots and discoloration.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I second the scale insect problem.

Mites are very tiny and hard to see without a magnifier.

If you looked at a mite with your unaided eye, they'd look like slow moving pieces of dust specks. They're literally that small.

Mites look like macroscopic spiders under a microscope.

Red spider mite:

Northwest Hot Springs With Red Spider Mites

A different species:

Two-Spotted Spider Mite

Backyard Gardener - Spider Mites - July 18, 2007

[JeffreyGreen17]

hmm ok then you think they are hard scale, ok thanks i will have to look them up!

[JeffreyGreen17]

i think your right they look exactly like this
http://www.aos.org/AM/Images/orchid_...own_scale1.jpg it looks like the smaller black one

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by BikerDoc5968

I would soak your entire pot/plant in Bayer 3-In-1 Insecticide diluted as per the instructions. I use it all the time and have never had a problem... and it kills lots of stuff!

Make sure you use the one that does NOT have fertilizer in it. The fertilizer is far too strong for orchids when used as instructed.

[BikerDoc5968]

Originally Posted by Izzie

Make sure you use the one that does NOT have fertilizer in it. The fertilizer is far too strong for orchids when used as instructed.

Absolutely!!!!! Don't purchase the product containing fertilizer. Unfortunately, Bayer has repackaged this product so it now comes in a container that you connect to your garden hose and spray. It is designed to meter the correct proportion of insecticide. The picture is what you want to purchase. I know Lowe's carries this product and I'm sure other garden centers do also. So what you have to do is use 5.5 Tablespoons full to a gallon of water; that's just a bit more than a Tablespoon/ quart, if you want to mix some in a hand sprayer.

[tucker85]

Scale is a common problem. I had it a couple of years ago and it took some effort to get rid of. I used insecticide soap and sprayed all parts of the orchid with it. Then I took paper towels and actually wiped off all the scale. The next morning I sprayed the entire plant with an insecticide. I believe I used Orthene. A week later I sprayed the plants with insecticide again. I did this to 70 orchids. It took several days of work but in the end I had no scale. I haven't had any since but I always check my plants carefully.