Pesticide Application
Hi Everyone!
My basic question is - when applying a sprayed insecticide, is it ok to spray the media around the plant, and the plant's roots, since that's likely where the bugs are? Are there insecticides which are safe to use as a drench to really flush the media?
I picked up a few new orchids 1 week ago. Last night I was examining them closely (dark room, optivisor for easy magnification, flashlight) and I noticed 2 of them had bugs. One was a tiny little speck zooming along - looked round, black or dark red, but even with magnification I couldn't tell what it was. It was tiny even with magnification. But the sucker was fast! Two inches in the blink of an eye. That plant has what looks like sap at the base of it's flower (a cattleya), but I didn't see any bugs there, or else they were so translucent I couldn't see them. Should I worry about the sap? Or do you think that's a natural defense of the plant? Ideas what kind of pest that is?
The other one, a phaleonopsis just starting to bloom, had tiny little bugs, which looked translucent. I could just barely see legs on either side. I guess those could be aphids? I couldn't figure out how to photograph them, they are so small and do move around a bit.
I immediately sprayed all the new plants with hydrogen peroxide, since that's what I had on-hand that was safe for crevices. I don't want to repot, a grower actually repotted the phal for me before letting me take them home, and I don't have the same materials to repot with (norlite, lava rock, some bark and perlite.)
Anyway, I am state-side and want to pick up a few pesticides to treat for these critters. Suggestions on what might work for my situation?
Thanks for all your time and advice guys!
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