Need Advice - Should I try to save this Bellina Splendid X Surprise?

[realoldbeachbum]

I have had this Hauserman orchid for 2 years. It bloomed beautifully one year ago. After that blooming I suffered an infestation of flat (false) mites that destroyed several Bellinas. This one survived, but suffered severe leaf damage. Her foliage is terribly ugly and I am tempted to toss her out, BUT BUT her blooms are beautiful and are fragrant! She has many healthy aerial roots; not sure about roots in pot b/c it is opaque. Question: Should I cut the bloom spikes & repot in an effort to save her, or should I just let her be and see what happens, or should I toss her rather than see her slow demise? All advice is appreciated.

[Louis_W]

Id wait for new growth, it might be free and clear since the infestation is gone. I feel like this plant is all banged up but might be just fine from here on out.

[Roberta]

Ignore the ugly leaves, new ones will be fine if you have controlled the infestation. It's a beauty, Orchids are for the long haul. I don't think you have to cut anything or repot if the medium is OK. If the medium is questionalble, you can repot, Phals don't mind being repotted while in bloom. Don't cut the spike, it reblooms sequentially.

Let the plant do its thing. Patience...

[rbarata]

A lesson to be learned: While there's green, there's hope!

[Dalachin]

If you controlled the mites, she’ll put out new growth and be fine. I’m using predator mites on my phals, Amblyseius swirskii.

[estación seca]

If the mites are gone it will look great in a year or two.

[Mountaineer370]

Ditto to everyone above! If you're sure the mite infestation is over and done with, give the plant plenty of time to recover and as new leaves grow, eventually those old ones will drop off. We all carry scars we have accumulated in our lives.

[realoldbeachbum]

Dalachin - Amblyseius swirskii mites will kill other mites? (I looked them up on Google and they look creepy!!) My previous flat mite infestation is gone -- using multiple doses of Bifenthrin. Now wondering if Amblyseius's would be a better route -- preventative rather than treating after the infestation is already ongoing. Do you have a reliable source for them?

All - Thanks for all the advice. I will hold onto the Bellina a while longer.

[Roberta]

You wouldn't want to introduce predatory mites right after using bifenthrin - it kills the good as well as the bad. I don't know how long you have to wait. I also doubt that using the predatory mites after you have killed off the bad ones as a preventive will be all that effective even if you wait long enough - the good ones need bad ones to eat, and so if they don't have anything to eat they won't stick around, will go off looking for dinner elsewhere (or die).

[realoldbeachbum]

Thanks, Roberta. Makes sense. I will hold off.
ROBB