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10-12-2014, 03:20 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Clearwater, Florida
Posts: 83
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Curse These Roaches!!
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Ok, I've had it up to here with these cockroaches. They chew on my Dendrobium buds, scurry across my feet at night, and, now, infest my sick phal's potting mix. Growl! Ok, anyway, my question is if watered-down dish soap will hurt my orchid if I spray the mix with it before repotting, Beacuse, as luck would have it, I'm out of bark mix. I don't think it would hurt if I rinsed really well after, but I want to be sure. If not, what else can I use to kill roaches that is safe for my orchids delicate roots?
Last edited by Phal-lover; 10-12-2014 at 03:24 PM..
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10-12-2014, 04:36 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Zone: 7b
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 1,197
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Pretty much any insecticidal product, used as directed on the packaging will be safe. If the roaches are in your potting mix, yes, you can soak the pot(s) in water, a dab of dish soap will help. But, it's not going to do much of anything to their eggs.
You would might also consider using some of the roach bait products. Not the "hotel" type traps, but the gel types that come in what look like small caulk tubes. Use it all around your place, not just in the are where you keep the plants.
I only keep a small number of plants outside in the summer these days because the giant American roaches are just so numerous in this area, and when I would keep the orchids outside, they'd get infested. I hesitated to use pesticides, but ultimately, it's the only long-term solution. Now, when I bring stuff in, I do the soapy water soak. If there's sign of large number of "bugs", then I'll treat with an insecticide. And, I always treat indoors, in all rooms with the gel bait. It has the added bonus that it also works on the ants that show up.
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10-12-2014, 07:24 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Zone: 5a
Location: Madison WI
Age: 65
Posts: 2,509
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Diatomaceous earth.
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10-12-2014, 08:54 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Zone: 5b
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,077
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Ah, the "joys" of living in the south! One of the things my mom likes about living in the Great White North -- all the bugs die off for about 6months of the year.
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10-13-2014, 12:54 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Ohio
Posts: 10,953
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That is the reason we stay in Ohio. When we complain about the ice and snow, the bitter cold wind, the heating bills and shoveling that snow, we think about the bugs and spiders and...we are fine with Ohio.
Just be glad they are not flying cockroaches. :0
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10-13-2014, 12:24 PM
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Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 2,393
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leafmite
That is the reason we stay in Ohio. When we complain about the ice and snow, the bitter cold wind, the heating bills and shoveling that snow, we think about the bugs and spiders and...we are fine with Ohio.
Just be glad they are not flying cockroaches. :0
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I think most types of cockroach can fly....
Sorry...
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10-13-2014, 04:09 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Missouri
Posts: 87
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Diatomaceous earth and boric acid both work well against insects and are not poisonous to animals. I don't think they would be harmful to the roots of your orchids either. Make sure to treat your whole house and not just the plants.
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10-13-2014, 06:14 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Zone: 10b
Location: los angeles, california
Posts: 431
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Yup boric works well on roaches. U can mix some borax powder with any flour base...once it crawl over, it will carry the borax powder back to the base and kill all hives
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10-14-2014, 07:43 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Zone: 7a
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 2,780
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Diotomacious earth everywhere but the actual plant. DE is my pal. On the floor, on the racks, window sills, outside on the ground. Under furniture. Carpet. Pet bedding. Nooks and crannies. We have massive cuckarachas in NM. DE kills fleas, bedbugs, mites, cockroaches, silverfish, snails, ants....etc. any critter with a shell that keep it from drying out. I think it is safe on the plants if it is just dusted on and not rubbed in.
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10-14-2014, 09:18 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Paris
Age: 57
Posts: 704
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If you have access to borax, mix the powder with evaporated milk, to make little sweets for cockroaches.
Or you can mix borax with flour or sugar (the finest for pastry).
Alternative (especially if there's kids around) use plaster powder, with flour or sugar, 50/50.
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