Killing an invasive plant by cutting its leaves

[Leafmite]

I have never used this product and probably would be afraid to use it so close to an orchid. Looks like others have had good luck, though.

[rbarata]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

I have never used this product and probably would be afraid to use it so close to an orchid. Looks like others have had good luck, though.

Yes, that's how I feel.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by rbarata

And when "painting" with Roundup? One leaf is enough? Or should I paint as much as possible? I want to minimize the max the use of this product.

I would paint all of the leaves. Also, I have found that using a cotton pad, like a makeup pad and not a cotton ball, if a lot more efficient than a Q-tip. But the fern in your pot is relatively large, and my guess is that it's got a relatively big rhizome down in the mix. My guess is that a repotting is in the plant's best interest. I'm not familiar with Stanhopeas, though, so I'm not sure when repotting is an option with your plant. If you can't repot fairly soon, then use Roundup.

[rbarata]

My guess is that a repotting is in the plant's best interest. I'm not familiar with Stanhopeas, though, so I'm not sure when repotting is an option with your plant.

From what I've been reading, Stanhopea wardii doesn't take a winter rest. At least it keeps growing. I'm not familiar with it also because that's my first one and I'm not sure how forgiving this plant is.
If I'll wait till Spring, the fern will take all the space.

That's a dillema, but before jumping into one of the solutions I'd like to have some degree or certainty that the choosen opt is the best.

[Leafmite]

Do you know any orchid vendors, collectors, or orchid societies in your area? If I had a question like this about an orchid, I would call or email someone who has grown these and has knowledge about these.

If you cannot do this, there are two things you can do to cause the orchid the least amount of harm when re-potting at the wrong time.

The first is the best option. This method involves leaving the roots in place but removing the medium. I usually do this with the medium dry. Carefully remove the medium piece by piece without taking the orchid out of the pot. Tweezers are good to have with this method. I often have a sharp knife and a pair of scissors to carefully remove the medium from the roots. When this is finished, carefully poke new medium around the roots and, if you think damage to the roots may have occurred, don't water for a day or two to let the roots heal.

Second method: This involves removing the orchid from the pot. Soak the orchid for a few hours, then remove the orchid from the pot. Carefully remove the medium from the roots, then carefully put the plant into the pot. If this is a Cattleya, I usually don't add any medium until I see new growth or I pot it on top of a little red lava rock. As this orchid needs more water, I would, again, carefully poke medium between the roots then either use something to prevent a fungus infection entering the roots or leave the roots dry for a few days to let the roots heal so fungus cannot enter.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Do you know any orchid vendors, collectors, or orchid societies in your area? If I had a question like this about an orchid, I would call or email someone who has grown these and has knowledge about these.

If you cannot do this, there are two things you can do to cause the orchid the least amount of harm when re-potting at the wrong time.

The first is the best option. This method involves leaving the roots in place but removing the medium. I usually do this with the medium dry. Carefully remove the medium piece by piece without taking the orchid out of the pot. Tweezers are good to have with this method. I often have a sharp knife and a pair of scissors to carefully remove the medium from the roots. When this is finished, carefully poke new medium around the roots and, if you think damage to the roots may have occurred, don't water for a day or two to let the roots heal.

Second method: This involves removing the orchid from the pot. Soak the orchid for a few hours, then remove the orchid from the pot. Carefully remove the medium from the roots, then carefully put the plant into the pot. If this is a Cattleya, I usually don't add any medium until I see new growth or I pot it on top of a little red lava rock. As this orchid needs more water, I would, again, carefully poke medium between the roots then either use something to prevent a fungus infection entering the roots or leave the roots dry for a few days to let the roots heal so fungus cannot enter.

In this case I don't think it's a good option. The fern's roots and rhizome are going to be wrapped, twisted, and otherwise so set into the pot that without a complete repotting, including trimming off all dead roots, chances are very high that the fern will come back.

I'm still convinced that the plant is in need of repotting so that ALL signs of the fern are eradicated. If the plant isn't at a point of tolerating repotting then I would use Roundup.

[Leafmite]

Yes, that is quite true. I have never tried the Roundup method so I can offer no advice there. I also do not grow any of these orchids so I did not know how tolerant of re-potting they are.

[rbarata]

Do you know any orchid vendors, collectors, or orchid societies in your area? If I had a question like this about an orchid, I would call or email someone who has grown these and has knowledge about these.

As with any orchid issue, there are always several different oppinions. So, the more oppinions we get, the better.

So, yesterday I sent an email to the author of the Stanhopea culture blog.
He was very kind and helped me with his oppinion.
Basically what he said was to pull out the fern while holding down the pbulbs. If I find this a risky operation (which I do) his sugestion is to wait till Spring and repot. In the meanwhile, I must cut all the leaves and keep doing so as soon as they start to grow.
According his oppinion (and the photos I've sent him) the Stanhopea has good growth and roots which means it should grow nicely next year after repotting in Spring.

He also advised me not to use any herbicide because the plant is too young and in case of a "disaster" it might not have too much resistance and die.

[estación seca]

{ sniff } poor little fern

[rbarata]

{ sniff } poor little fern

Now, seriously... I wish I could keep it
Aesthetically, it looks great in that pot.