something is eating my dendrobium!!!- please help me???

[alekos50]

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a leaf that half was missing (attachment) so I sprayed it with some cayenne pepper and Dr. Bronner's soap as I read and had on hand. Today I noticed the other leaves doing fine so that was great, but something is eating away at the stem now (attachment) and both new shoots are drooping. (attachment) Please help me recover my dendrobium as I would hate to lose it. Thank you greatly in advance for any help you can provide me with.

[AJW]

First thing that comes to mind when I look at your photo of the leaf is either snail, slug, or caterpillar, then when I see the photo of the stem I see a different sort of pest one that noars in New Zealand we have an insect known as a weta that will do this or small field mice can also leave this mark. A tip on saving the stem is to stake it up as straight as you can then you can do one of two things.
1. Apply a small amount of spagham moss in a bandage and see how that works or;
2. Paint the noaring with a water base paint to seal it from getting any infection and hope the stem continues to grow strong.
I have used the 2nd option with success unfortunately the plant either way will have a scar.

[Leafmite]

Good luck finding the culprit. I haven't seen that type of damage before on any of mine so I would go with what AJW says.

[alekos50]

Thank you so much for responding AJW and Leafmite. I shall do as you suggest by staking it up straight and with some sphagnum moss and a bandage and pray for the best. I will also add to my profile that I'm in Falls Church VA to assist others in knowing my location since different bugs exist in different places. Hope it works out and again, thanks.

[Orchid Whisperer]

IMO that looks like snail or slug damage. Try a slug bait based on metaldehyde, iron sulfate, or iron chelates.

[alekos50]

I don't think it would hurt to try that as well Orchid Whisperer. Thank you for your recommendation.

[estación seca]

If you have animals be careful; slug bait is toxic to mammals too.

[Fernando]

Don't know if you want to know exactly, but I would! Before using any pesticide, I'd 'offer' a piece of cucumber or a slice of an apple, half a potato, with a hollow base ... sometimes you find the hungry one next morning, early. I had a similar damage and it was a young cockroach, not on Dendrobium but on Barkeria. It didn't hide in the same pot.
Good luck!

[ula]

Hi,
looks like slug or snail damage to me as well...some people use a "beer trap" for those first before bringing out the heavy artillery. It might take some observation to just see what's doing the damage, good luck!

[Orchonubee]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

IMO that looks like snail or slug damage. Try a slug bait based on metaldehyde, iron sulfate, or iron chelates.

Good advice here! I have had a similar problem with snails and used a snail and slug bait. They are available at most garden centers. Sprinkle around the plants. Also you can go out at night with a bright flashlight and see if you can spot and squash any of the culprits.