White bugs in the soil+Sick roots. What should I do?

[Daria]

everyone,

I am new to this forum and only started learning about orchids very recently, but I already have 4 at home and love them dearly I have a problem with one of my phals I got it back in November and repoted it about a month ago(February). I used some orchid potting mix as well as bark and moss for the planting soil. I cleaned the roots and cut off all of the rotten ones. In general, they seemed to be in a good shape. But after that weird things started to happen. First of all, its roots (the visible ones) got all ugly and weird (see pictures in the attachment), notice the white stripes on them. Does anyone have any idea what can be the cause of that? Also, I noticed some tiny white bugs in the soil today. They don't fly or jump, just crawl around really fast. I've never seen them before. They are waaaaaaay too small and waaaaaay to fast to be looked at. So I am not exactly sure what they are. They seem to be only in the soil and nowhere else. Can anyone suggest what I can use to get rid of them?? I feel like I need to have a look at the rots inside the pot, but wouldn't it traumatize the plant since I repotted it so recently? I appreciate any suggestion/advice.

Thank you,
Daria.

[Daria]

Here are some photos

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Roots look fine to me. They look wierd because the old root stopped growing, and when they started growing again, it continued where it left off and became segmented. Not to mention, sometimes the new bark will stain the roots brown.

The insects on the otherhand are probably thrips. If they are, they're harmless. Thrips feed on decaying matter. I see them crawling around my terrestrial orchids and I just leave them alone. You may also encounter fungus gnats if your growing environment is very humid.

[Brooke]

I didn't know thrips were in the potting media but they will enter the tightly closed buds and suck on the tissue of the bloom and disfigure/discolor them. They usually appear about this size ! They are easier to see on light colored flowers and are usually more common in hot dry conditions. When viewed on a bloom they are fast moving. If you have a heavy infestation in the buds, you will notice protrusions on them before they open.

Brooke

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

The insects on the otherhand are probably thrips. If they are, they're harmless. Thrips feed on decaying matter. I see them crawling around my terrestrial orchids and I just leave them alone. You may also encounter fungus gnats if your growing environment is very humid.

Thrips are far from being harmless, and also they don't live in the soil/medium.They also don't feed on decaying matter, they are piecing sucking insects that drain out the cell contents of the plant. The only life stages that take place in the soil are the immobile pupae stages, and they are almost invisible to the naked eye. That being said, there is also no thrips damage on the plant either.
I'm thinking it might be springtails, but that seems odd as the medium is fresh.

[Sandy4453]

The roots look fine, I agree and I need to say that thrips can wipe your plant out and as well, spread to your other orchids, very contagious but, I don't think this is thrips. You probably got a 'bad' bag of medium that may have been decaying. You should take the plant out of the pot and wash it thoroughly. You can use some dishsoap and water and spray it, then rinse. Make sure you don't let water get trapped in the crown area. You won't harm the plant by doing another repot. It may stall but will rebound once it acclimates in NEW medium. If you're going to use new medium from the same bag that this was potted in, first check it to make sure there aren't any buggies. I ALWAYS boil the bark before I use it. If you decide to do this, let it come to a boil then, simmer for about 15 minutes, let cool for about 1/2 hr., drain and wait another 1/2 hour till the bark cools down.

It needs to come out of that bark and cleaned up, is all. Good luck and keep us posted, please.

[D&S Mabel]

Your potting mix may be staying to moist. Does the pot you have the plant in have any drain holes or slits to allow for air movement?

[Daria]

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for all your advice!!
Now, the root was healthy?? Oh no, I cut off a healthy root Hm... That sucks. I was really surprised to see that it changed the color and got a little spongy in the middle. I was sure that it got sick..*sigh*
I will try repotting the plant sometime this week, and I will boil the bark this time. I only hope that these bugs are not dangerous and will not spread to my other plants I only saw them in the soil and nowhere else.
There is a big hole at the bottom of the pot, but you are right, the plant might need more air movement.
I will keep you posted. Let me know if you have any other ideas.
Thank you!!!!!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Okay...I may have gotten the bug's name wrong. The insect in the soil should be harmless, 'cause I've never seen them go anywhere near the buds of the plants. They like wet moist places and feed on decaying stuff.

As for your roots, the pics you show have good roots as far as I can see. But if you're saying there are others that are brown or black and mushy, then those were dead. Cutting those off was okay.

[phearamedusa]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Okay...I may have gotten the bug's name wrong. The insect in the soil should be harmless, 'cause I've never seen them go anywhere near the buds of the plants. They like wet moist places and feed on decaying stuff.

The bugs I think you mean are springtails. Thrips move really fast, and don't really hang out in the medium. They resemble a very small grain of rice in shape, couple of millimeters in length.