Prophylactic insecticide treatment?

[varda.elentari]

I couldn't live somewhere that warm but I sure envy you your perfect Cym conditions! And I bet you have lots of them available in garden centers there. They're so few and far between here I had to order some from Ecuagenera but the shipping is so hard on the roots. =(

[Roberta]

And I couldn't manage the cold, I am reaching for a jacket at 60 deg F/15 deg C ... Cyms are really tough, any damage to roots in shipping will be resolved with the next new growth. The bigger challenge for those in cold climates is to meet the temperature variation requirement to bloom most Cyms. The so-called "warmth-tolerant" ones, that don't need a period in fall with warm days and cool nights, are a lot easier to flower for those who have to grow them inside without that temperature variation.

[varda.elentari]

I hope so! Because I had to chop off practically all the roots on one of the three I got.

Yes I'll have to be a bit creative to meet that requirement. I started with miniature Cyms last year and those don't need it. But these new arrivals are standards so I might end up growing them on the balcony and leaving them there for the fall.

[Orchid Whisperer]

varda.elantari :

As others have pointed out, if you use treatments when you don't have infestations (for peace of mind), you increase the chances that if you do get infestations later on, you won't be able to control insects later on with that treatment.

[Think of it as being analogous to using antibiotics in medicine for peace of mind, which humans have a history of doing. The result is that types of bacteria that were once treated effectively by antibiotics are now antibiotic-resistant.]

As was stated before, (1) Observe (for your peace of mind), (2) Treat, only if you observe an infestation requiring treatment.