Den. Kingianum with fungus or parasite?

[tcrane]

I inherited these two plants from a friend, both are improving and sending up new canes, the larger in a pot has several canes which look like they are preparing to bloom.

And... they both have some kind of rust-looking discoloration on the underside of some of their leaves.

Photos here -

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-parasite.html

The smaller, mounted on a stick, also has them on the top of the leaves.

Any advice as to what this is would be extremely appreciated!

-Tristan

[Izzie]

It's hard to tell- but it looks like you have mites. Am I seeing little white specky insects? Is there any cobwebby stuff?

[tcrane]

No cobwebs, but with the 'rust' stains, there are little white and red dots which could easily be mites.. they haven't spread to the new growth or to any other plants however.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The red dots are red spider mites. Try to look for them using a jeweler's loupe (20x).

[Izzie]

Get rid of them pronto. I hate mites. they take over.
Ray suggests some home-made pesticides for them here- First Rays' Home Remedies

[tcrane]

Yikes! Thank you both for the advice!

I'm going to isolate and attempt to treat, since these plants have new growth which (so far) is clear of the mites. Much appreciated.

-Tristan

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by tcrane

Yikes! Thank you both for the advice!

I'm going to isolate and attempt to treat, since these plants have new growth which (so far) is clear of the mites. Much appreciated.

-Tristan

Good luck!
If you feel like you are not getting all of them with a alcohol swab/spray, I've had success with Bayer's End All- it's a Neem oil and Fatty Acid Salt spray that gets rid of the insects at every stage, larvae, eggs, and adults. Smells funky though.


Neem oil is your best friend. It's a great organic workhorse in the gardening world.

[catwalker808]

Please keep in mind that mites are not insects, they are arachnids (spiders have 8 legs, insects have 6). The mites are not killed by insecticides. (I don't know about the home remedies. Some might work by smothering the mites).

Miticides are for killing mites.
***{Be careful not to confuse them with "Mighty Cides". These have names like Kryptonite ... which only affects Superman}.

Miticides need to be applied all over the plant, especially under the leaves where the mites live. 7-10 days later, a second application is necessary to kill mites which have hatched from eggs in the meantime. You should also treat the other plants if you can, since they were in close proximity to the infested plants & mites can easily be dispersed through the air or direct contact.

[Izzie]

Forget Kryptonite. I've been looking for an exorcist to get rid of the mites in my garden.