Quote:
Originally Posted by Roberta
Bush snails are different than "regular" snails. They live down in the pot, don't leave trails (and also are not attracted to the baits that are used on their bigger cousins) I knew an elderly hobbyist who claimed that there are two kinds of orchid growers, those with bush snails and those who need new glasses. (But he grew in a greenhouse, so anything in one pot eventually ended up in the rest... I get a few but it's not such a big problem in my outdoor area) But they are tiny - like 1/4 to 1/2 centimeter or even less. So don't rule those out just because you haven't seen them yet. Sometimes they come to the surface when a plant is watered well, but not always.(Look like tiny flying saucers) Several people on the Board have had good luck against them with coffee.
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Dear Roberta,
Thank you for your post - I learned something from it ))) Because I am having this issue and because I recently had springtails, I've been keeping a very close eye on the pots - but it is possible I have missed something so small! I will do more research and perhaps try the coffee treatment (I've also heard it works for snails!).
---------- Post added at 04:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 AM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthPark
m.dl ------ how long roughly have those orchids been growing in that particular growing area? Eg. ..... several years?
You mention 'window' - which suggests an indoor environment. But in any case - whether outdoor or indoor, consider the usual - temperature, lighting levels and duration, humidity, air-flow etc. The 70-75% humidity level you have is satisfactory!
If the orchids have been growing in there for years, then might need to check on water quality - even though it seems that some roots don't get affected, while all roots on some other plants are completely affected.
Also - for some orchids ----- check to see what's going on within the depths of the media ----- the regions where our eyes can't look into. This may involve unpotting ----- just to make sure the roots etc are all ok toward the central region of the pot ---- as in nothing bad happening in regions that aren't visible to us.
I think that at least some growers will mention that double-pots work nicely for them indefinitely. But under certain conditions - that configuration could introduces issues for orchids. So that was likely a good call in this case to not use double-pots ----- at least until the source(s) of the issue becomes revealed.
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Dear South Park,
I was glad to read your thoughts on the matter.
The plants are kept indoors, but I take them to the outside courtyard to water - so they are semi-indoor plants, I would say )))
When I had the springtail problem, I basically checked the inside of all pots - in some cases by shaking everything out, in others by simply taking out the top layer of the bark without disturbing the roots. It seems, there is nothing terrible going on inside (like rot).
I have been in the current area for about a year, and we've had quite a lot of problems in the garden as well (things mysteriously dying back, lots of pests, etc). So, thinking about it, perhaps, the issue is not with the water, but with the environment itself - if there is something (like fungal) floating around, it affects orchids as well?
And I think you are correct about the double pot - the plants somehow just "feel" happier ))
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