Mealybug Advice
I am hoping someone might be able to help me or guide me in the right direction. I apologize, this will be a long post. I have a nobile dendrobium that I absolutely love, but I have been battling mealybugs on it since I bought it. It was one of the first orchids I bought before I knew what to look for before buying them.
Once I realized that it was covered in these horrible insects, I started treating it with Rose RX, which is basically neem oil. This stuff works great on keeping pests off all of my outdoor plants. It has helped reduce the number of mealybugs I have noticed between waterings. I have not seen any egg sacs or large crawlers in a few months.
But recently 2 new canes have started growing & I have found 2-3 small crawlers per cane. I seem to have gotten rid of them on the old canes/leaves, but they come up with the new growth. So now I am worried that they are in my root system.
My questions are: should I unroot my nobile & try to repot it? If there are mealybugs in the roots/soil once I get it up, do I treat it with the neem oil & try to get rid of any bugs I can see manually as has worked for the canes? When I go to repot it: same size pot, larger, & I have no clue what kind of soil it is in, so soil type?
Also, any recommendations for using ladybugs? I have been told they will eat the mealybugs, but I cannot find any information if they will damage the canes in the process. & I have read in a Hawaiian dendrobium growing recommendations manual that I found, not to make the plant root bound because this encourages mealybug infestations. However, when I bought it I was told I wouldn't have to repot it for "awhile".
I know I am asking for a lot of help, I really appreciate any advice. Thanks so much!!!
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