So this Neofinetia falcata is the saddest looking orchid in my collection. This winter I got it from a very reputable seller. It was in the good for beginners section, but I’ve has nothing but bad luck with it. Shortly after receiving it I discovered mealybugs on it. I sprayed it weekly with neem and soap, and repotted with fresh media. This summer I haven’t seen any mealybugs, but I occasionally see these white tiny mites or spiders on it. I left it for two weeks with a friend watering, and when I came back the top needles were brown and fell off like they had rotted. It was also very dry, too dry. So… underwatered. And maybe also mites? Help? I’m scared to bring it in the house, I want to resolve that it doesn’t have pests before I let it near my phals.
Spider mites are extremely tiny. Some dust particles are bigger than them, and red/brown-ish is the most common color for SMs. Unless you have very very very good eyesight or are using a magnifying glass, they’re probably not spider mites. If they jump around when you water, those are springtails and they’re harmless. Often a sign of degrading media, but not always. I have them in many of my houseplants because they’re really common where I live and it’s a dry desert climate so they seek out damp places.
howdy. so, we don't have this in our collection, but as always i would advocate for a cleaning with soap spray during this repot/overhaul.
first, if in doubt it has always been a good practice for me to put the plant into quarantine. i would spray with a solution of 1-2 drops of soap in a small spray bottle. holding the plant mostly upseide down so soapy water doesn't just pour down into all the tiny cracks and crevices of the crown. rinse with plain water very well, being sure to flush the media as well several times.
then a couple days later i would repot, being sure to safely but thoroughly remove any old media. spray the leaves and roots and stems with the soap solution. again, rinse thoroughly with plain water, everything. water in well with a soak in kelpmax solution (or just plain water) for a good couple hours after repot.
then, at cycles of every 4-5 days for the next 2 weeks i would repeat the soap spray and rinse procedure. more depending on if i saw visible critters (and yeah, a magnifying glass can't hurt to see the pests!!)
i know it sounds like a lot, but not too bad as once you get the hang of spraying upside down and rinsing you can get it done in like 3 minutes or less. best of luck with the plant!!
That sounds like great advice, I'm going to do just that. I even ordered some Kelpmax, I've heard so much about it on this forum. I have some Maxicrop that I've been using, but it doesn't seem to do much good.
This is also a little late to your game. I hope you were a or to salvage the plant.
I had a mealybugs problem and found that they actually liked to go into the crown area of my neofinetia. I had one that was doing great the. Seemed to eilt and loose leaves overnight. Sure enough, it had mealybugs in the crown area, which I discovered too late to save it.
If you’ve not watered and soaked as advised, I would strongly recommend doing so. You won’t have a good way to fix it or pests otherwise.
Visible mite on Neofinetia falcata
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